My #OneWord 2025: Adjacency

It's that time again, time for a new year and a new word.

I always enjoy being on the lookout for another word;

here's my list of previous hard-hitters.

Peace.

Joy.

Harmony.

Gratitude.

Hope.

Vulnerability.

Enough.

Awe.

Present.

Nourish.

Goodness.

Grace.

These words have taught me a lot. And now, adjacency gets a turn. The word found me about a month ago, when Bob Goff made {this clip}, and it hasn't let go of me. So yesterday, on New Year's Eve morning, I decided to try it out. At the local Starbucks of all places. It was a glorious morning, so I decided to sit out on the patio and enjoy the chill in the air.

And hopefully some practice in adjacency.

I wasn't there long, when I was greeted by a friend from a Frisbee team I played on some 35 years ago. I invited him to adjacency, and we enjoyed a nostalgic catch-up chat. What fun it was, to remember.

After he left, I saw a man whose hands were full, so I offered to follow him and open his car door for him. He declined the help, but he stopped because he recognized me as his college son's school counselor from kindergarten. After we connected for about 10 minutes, he said that it was nice to see that even in retirement, I was still counseling, then he said he'd better go before I charge him for a session.

Adjacency.

And it made my spirit soar, to be available.

It even got me to thinking that I could do this more often, sit on the patio savoring my morning candybar-in-a-cup awaiting adjacency sessions. Wouldn't that be an epic use of my time in 2025?

So that's it, my challenge for this year.

Show up and connect by proximity.

With presence.

Through adjacency.

And not just at the Starbucks, but everywhere I go.