Over the past several months, the word “reclaim” has floated into my consciousness again and again. When I look at our messy house, I do not simply think about decluttering; I want to reclaim our home. When I practice hot yoga, I meditate on reclaiming my body. And when I journal about my beliefs and values, I yearn to reclaim my authentic self. Again and again, in different contexts, I think about reclaiming my life.

That is why, on the eve of 2022, I decided “reclaim” would be my word of the year.

While brainstorming ways to “reclaim my life”, I realized my work could be divided into four categories: home; body; inner child; and stories. The year divides nicely into quarters, so I will focus on each category for three months. Here’s my plan:

January-March: Reclaim the House. Declutter, deep clean, organize and start decorating.

April-June: Reclaim My Body. Quit diet culture. Adore my body. Move in ways that feel right to me.

July-September: Reclaim My Inner Child. Play! Have fun! Follow my curiosity! Be my most bitching, radiant self!

October-December: Reclaim My Stories. My words. My beliefs. My values. My canon.

Oh my goodness, I am so excited for my Reclaim Series.With Operation: Reclaim the House, I will clear out the junk and create space and energy for my other work. By the end of March, our house will be whipped into shape and I’ll have systems to keep it tidy. I’m sure I will still have work to do in terms of decorating (e.g. painting our kitchen cupboards white) but I’ll be ready to move on to…

… Operation: Reclaim My Body. That work has already started with hot yoga. But I am going to read up on intuitive eating, get massages, and shower my body with love. I imagine I’ll also invest in some new clothes. I have a few months to brainstorm this!

In July, I’ll switch gears to Operation: Reclaim My Inner Child. We have a pool, and I’ll have my own personal summer camp. My inner child is already doing backflips.

And then I’ll end the year with Operation: Reclaim My Stories. This work will require the most brainstorming, so I’m saving it for last. But I suspect that wihile I deep cleaning and decluttering our house this month, I will hit upon a few ideas to deep clean and declutter my soul all year long.