Have you ever noticed an interjection can mean so many different things? Even though these words are short and often overlooked, they can express multiple different emotions in just one syllable. In fact, I first learned all about interjections from SchoolHouse Rock. Sometimes there are a lot of ways to interpret those simple phrases – Hey! Aha! Oh! And Whoa! My own life can sometimes feel like an interjection. My day can start with one emotion and twist its way into a different one. From Whoa! That’s incredible, to Whoa! Calm down. I recently read about The One Little Word Project and I thought about how Whoa! Is exactly the one little word for me.

Whoa! An interjection used to express surprise, interest, or alarm to grab someone’s attention. That’s a lot of definitions for one little word, isn’t it? I think that’s a good word to sum up my life because my day can switch quickly from one mood and experience to the next. For example, I often start my day with Tik Tok and I find the amateur art creators on the app awe-inspiring. “Whoa! I can’t believe they made that!” is often what I say. But sometimes as the school day progresses and work starts piling up, I hear my conscience say, “Whoa! Calm down. Focus. Breathe.”

 As I look forward to 2021, I started to think about how this one word could both motivate and ground me this year. I want this new year to be Whoa! (It’s got to be better than 2020, right?) But I also know that I need to be S.M.A.R.T. about my goals, and I want to make sure they aren’t Whoa! What were you thinking?

 S.M.A.R.T. goals should be specific, measurable, and achievable. I made sure I didn’t set large, vague goals that might have discouraged me and were hard to reach. S.M.A.R.T goals should also be relevant and time-based. I want my goals completed before the end of this year, and I want them to be beneficial. My goals this year are to finish the book I’m reading in 2 weeks, to work hard in swim practice so I can keep up with the high schoolers, and to add 10 new songs to my playlist over the next few months.

 So as you work on achieving your New Year’s resolutions, think about the words that can help define your year. What will your one little word be? Let me know in the comments below. Oh, and I would love some song suggestions for my new playlist as well!

This is Angelina signing off!