The Words That Mattered Most To You In 2018
Readers share the words that defined this year for them, from the profound to the personal
A lot happened in 2018—and not just politically, though that certainly is where one’s mind tends to wander. This was a year that invited introspection; a year that forced many to remember that the things shaping the national and global conversation are the aggregate of millions of personal stories: a pointillist painting of individual experience.
And those personal stories are precisely what we wanted to hear. At the beginning of this week, as part of our Words That Matter series, we asked you to choose a single word that mattered most to you in 2018, and write a one-sentence essay that explains why.
You responded—immediately. Stories of personal triumph, of trauma, growth, and experience coalesced to form a snapshot of Medium readers’ year. You shared what mattered to you, what changed in your world, what changed inside of you, and what stayed the same.
Here is a collection of your stories, shared with us from emails, tweets, Instagram comments, and more.
