I don’t make new year’s resolutions. Probably because I hate failure. However, I have chosen a word of the year (WOTY) the last couple years to help guide my intentions for the year. The problem is that I get busy and forget to lean into my WOTY. For 2023 My WOTY was “awe.” I wanted to take notice of every single little wonder that was in front of me. It helped, but I still missed a lot of details because I was pushing and pulling through life instead of just being… and noticing.
Living out my 2024 WOTY
Last year I chose the word Upcycled to be my WOTY. I liked the traditional use of the word, but more importantly, upcycling is defined as creating something that is of higher quality and a better version than the original one. I figured that should be true of our lives as well. I wanted to find unique and creative ways of Living Our Best Lives. We started off strong by spending the month of February in Florida experiencing The Salt Life. It was a sunny month full of exploring and Living Like the Locals while we stayed at a weathered salty marina. We got to eat delicious fresh seafood under palm trees as we Ate Our Way Through Sarasota. Back at home it is very difficult to get really good, fresh seafood in the middle of February when you are buried under layers of snow.
We were back home and settled into our own lives again long before the crocuses and daffodils pushed up through the soil. I started thinking about the traditional sense of upcycling and how I could buy less and start Living More Organically. The ultimate in traditional upcycling was when I went Thrifting on Steroids. That was a little too hard core for me. By far, my favorite experience in 2024 was booking a house at Rockaway Beach and having our immediate family gather together for a full week. It was not upcycled or inexpensive, but it did take some creativity to pull off. And it definitely contributed to living my best life in 2024. Sometimes you have to decide what is worth your time and money and go for it. If not now, when?

2025 word of the year
This year is the mark of a quarter century. It will also be a big year of change for us. It seems that this year’s WOTY should encompass that. I considered using the word change or even downsizing, but it is more than that. So, I am borrowing a term from the writer, Kathy Gottberg at SMART Living 365.com. My WOTY for 2025 will be, drumroll please… rightsizing. I give Kathy credit for using this term in the context of making your retirement life fit with your priorities and lifestyle choices. She wrote an excellent book on the topic, titled Rightsizing: A SMART Living 365 Guide to Reinventing Retirement. I highly recommend this book as you shape and mold your retirement to fit you.
Our retirement lifestyle will change dramatically in 2025. This spring we are selling our large home that we have lived in for the past 24 years. The bulk of raising our family happened within these walls and two of our sons got married here. It has served us well, but now Mr. U and I rattle around in this large home trying to hear each other from three rooms away. (Our new mantra is, “can’t see you, can’t hear you.”) We will be downsizing from a 3,600 square foot home on 40 acres to a 1,900 square foot home on .3 acres.

Downsizing will be a big part of this move, but we will also be upsizing in quality to create a retirement lifestyle that fits us. So really, it is all about rightsizing for our own unique situation, desires and interests at this point in our lives. It is living with intention and not mindlessly walking through these precious retirement years. In the coming months I will be going through every single item we own and determining what will be making the move and what we need to let go of. Tough decisions.
“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
William Morris
Moving forward in 2025

We have started rebuilding the home where I grew up next to a small lake in the Pacific Northwest. A place that holds so many good memories. It is only 30 minutes from where we live now, but instead of being 25 minutes from town, it will be a quick 5-minute drive to town, or a 15-minute bike ride. We will be closer to family, restaurants and activities in our small city, and I will be able to drop my kayak into the lake right from our yard. It will be “right” for us at this point in life.
So, I guess you could say that I am coming full circle in my life. We will be living our best retirement life right where I started out in this world. I will write posts about the process as we move through it. I hope that you will join me on the journey of “rightsizing” our retirement lives for 2025.
Great word and great plan for you! You’re going to love you new “rightsized” life. (I must admit that I couldn’t help but chuckle to see that 1900 sf is your right size for 2 retirees. For most of the world that would be a palace.)
Hi Don –
It is funny how it is all in perspective. We are very fortunate to be able to downsize to this new spot, which we would never have been able to do if my dad had not gifted it to us. I think that is why I like the term “rightsizing” so much. It fits each individual’s unique situation, based on our circumstances, finances, and what is important to us. I am looking forward to shedding a lot of our stuff in preparation for this move. I feel like we spend the first half of our lives accumulating and the second half trying to get rid of it. Wish us luck! There will be tears.
I admire your proactive approach with rightsizing. 2024 WOTY was RESOLVE. I liked that it could be a noun, i.e. show resolve or determination or verb, i.e. resolve as issue (find a solution). I had to show resolve & resolve issues as I journeyed with my mom in the last 6 months of her life in a nursing home. 2025 WOTY is STOIC, not the stiff-upper-lip definition but the philosophy that embodies wisdom, justice, courage & moderation. It’s all encompassing and a lofty aspiration but it will provide opportunity for daily practice.
Hi Mona –
The word “resolve” is full of emotional work, which it sounds like you had to do last year. I am so sorry you lost your mom in 2024. I think one of the hardest things we have to do in life is walk with our parents through their last years, particularly if there are issues to resolve. You were smart to make the effort to resolve instead of ignore. I like your description of “stoic” as your WOTY. To me, that word sounds solid and grounded. May 2025 have many good things in store for you!
A great WOTY, and a great plan. Your “new/old” place looks like a perfect place. I’m sincerely happy for you – have fun with the project!
Hi Fritz –
This has already been a bigger project than expected. I remind myself how nice it is that we are not working full-time on top of it. Definitely excited for the day we can move in, but there is a lot to do between now and then. I may have to reread your post about preparing to move to your mountain home.
I can’t wait to see your rightsize home when it is completed. I just know it will be everything you hoped it would be; such a wonderful future to look forward to.
Hi Janie –
It has been a roller coaster ride, but I will be excited to see it completed as well.
Hi Marian! Well better late than never right? I know you said in your personal email to me that you would be writing about this and you did! It sounds like a wonderful adventure to me and I do plan to check in with you now and then to see how it unfolds. As you say, it is so individual to each of us (and or our partners) because what seems rightsized to me wouldn’t fit for many people. But at our age I think it is time to admit that we have to do what works for us…not what our friends, family or even our culture thinks is normal. And most important, I can tell you have really thought about and talked about what you wanted at this stage of your life. Good for you! And while the change can be challenging the freedom of rightsizing should more than compensate! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy –
The beauty of the term “rightsizing” is that it takes into account our lifestyle, finances, and how we want to live out our best lives. And as you mentioned, it takes a lot of thought and reflection to determine what our unique rightsize is. Even then, it is a moving target as our life circumstances change. Thanks for coming up with the unique twist on the term “rightsizing” and challenging each of us to do it our way. I am looking forward to that feeling of freedom once the process is done!