My word for 2021 is shift. Like everyone I know, I’ve learned a lot, since this time last year. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that change and uncertainty just are. Since I’m not in control of much more than which yoga pants, Zoom-appropriate top, and slippers I’ll wear each day, I needed to figure out how I could deal with all the change and uncertainty. That’s where shifting comes in.

For me, shifts involve acceptance and adjustment. I know I don’t have much control, but I have unlimited choices. I can shift. 

Some of my recent shifts have been pretty significant. Some have been tiny. Some haven’t happened, yet. And I’m sure I’ll make a lot of shifts I can’t even imagine.

Earlier this week, I and many celebrated the 50th anniversary of Carole King’s Tapestry album. If you’re ‘of a certain age’ and certainly ‘a woman of a certain age’, you probably remember this album. And if you’re like me, you’ve probably owned at least one copy of the album, 8 track, cassette, CD, or digital download.

Tapestry prompted several shifts in my life. While it wasn’t the first album I ever bought, it was the third. And it was the one I played most often. I knew and still know every song by heart. Even when I wasn’t sure why, I felt like she was singing these songs for, to me, and about me.

I’d enjoyed other music before this great album, but it was the first album that not only helped me feel happy, sad, calm, or excited. Tapestry left me feeling seen, heard, and completely understood. And that was a huge shift.

For my 60th birthday, my lifetime gal pal got us tickets to see a traveling production of the Broadway play Beautiful. It’s about Carole King’s early career and several of her contemporaries. The show was an amazing experience, made even more special by getting see it with Linda. It was a fun shift for us both.

It’s tough for me to pick a favorite track from Tapestry, but if I had to, I’d pick the one after which they named the play.

If you’re also a Tapestry fan, what’s your favorite track?

And what shifts have you experienced lately?