The post on Facebook was simple, or so it seemed. “What one word sums up 2013 for you? And what word reflects your intentions for 2014?”

2013: For me, the word was Survival. My episode that resembled a stroke happened in late 2012, but I spent a great deal of 2013 recovering. Physical therapy, walking with a cane, gradually and slowly reconnecting the left side of my body to my brain.

A few highlights on Survival in 2013:

• An Ice storm left us without power for a day; we stayed warm with a fireplace and charged our phones in the minivan.
• Poor sidewalk construction caused a gas-water break, emergency evacuation, and the follow up took months
• I was hired to teach summer school, then told “Oops, not really, you’re just on deck” — twice. My home office was ready.
• The neighborhood became Tornado Alley in early August.
• Minivan sprouted a cracked windshield; the repair was complicated. ‘Nuff said.
• “Chuck” took a turn in the ER with a kidney stone and the accompanying pain.
• The retina in my left eye began detaching, calling for emergency surgery.

Choosing a word for 2014 is harder. I picked one on an impulse, of course. We’ll look toward the future – tomorrow.