Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Happy New Year!  While Christmas day was wonderful this year, and I will forever (at least I hope) remember sitting here with my three kiddoes and their partners talking the afternoon and evening away, I couldn't get the tree and other decorations down fast enough. I just wasn't feeling the whole keep the decorations up until New Year's this time around. So all the holiday accouterments were put away days ago, and some went into the thrift store box. I decided to do another deep cleaning, part of which is letting go of things that no longer give me joy. Yesterday, as a challenge to myself, I left the computer off all day. I didn't check in to anything on my phone, either. Instead, I spent time on the porch with the boys, listened to a couple of podcasts that really got me thinking, and I read, finishing up another excellent book: The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore. Highly recommend it if you're looking for something to read. And today, because it st...

Well, 2021 is starting off beautiful but menacing. Ice. And lots of it. The trees in this little village are taking a beating, including the ones on my property. The poor pines on my property and my neighbor's. Both taking a beating. The birch in the side yard is crumbling little by little. I was going to walk down the street to see how things are around town, but all the popping and creaking scared me. Getting conked on the head by a tree limb wouldn't be good. Mailbox ice. The ice is beautiful, though it is destructive. Thankfully, I have nowhere I need to be except right here in my cozy little house.

A new year. 365 days stretching out in front of me. So much promise. I hope I do this year justice. I spent my New Year's eve right here, with the last two episodes of season seven GOT queued up. I indulged in a Big Mac meal, complete with a coke to add some Irish whiskey to, and settled in to enjoy the evening. At midnight, I lit some candles and said hello to January 1, 2019 by meditating for twenty minutes. Ado had already gone to bed hours before, but he got up long enough to come out and check on me. After a minute or so, he decided his bed was really where he wanted to be. 2018 ended on a good note. I accomplished the two big things I wanted to do for the year: change my last name back to my maiden name and complete the poetry chapbook that I'd started during my sabbatical. My name change was granted on December 18. The last poem of the chapbook was finished just before 6 pm yesterday, after a couple of weeks of working to get a draft in place. When I copied the poem ...

Happy New Year! I love the promise that always swirls with the coming of the new year. All the possibilities stretching out before me. The older I get, the more I wish I had really tended to each year's possibilities and nurtured them fully, not just for the month of January. Thinking about what slipped by the wayside, what became lost in the everyday shuffle of life, makes me sad. But I have another opportunity. 2018 is rolled out like a red carpet in front of me, and today, here at the starting line, a neon sign is blinking: Don't Squander Opportunities! Last year my mantra was Persistence. I truly feel like I did persist in many different areas of my life and I feel stronger, more confident. Each time I said, "No," and each time I went with my gut instinct on an issue, the taller I stood, the calmer I became, and the more convinced I felt that the direction my life had veered is the right direction. This year, my mantra is Don't Squander Opportunities....

A new year. A, for the most part, clean slate to work with. What to do with it is almost paralyzingly intimidating. I know for sure I want to get back on the bike and ride, piling up the mileage like never before. I had the same idea for 2013, right after completing the cross-country ride in 2012, but when 2013 actually rolled around, I could feel the desire to get out on a daily basis just wasn't there. Each day I would get up with the intention of going out for a couple of hours, but deep in my core I kept feeling hesitation. Almost like something was gripping my insides and saying, "No, not today. The time isn't right." I listened to that voice, mostly just cycling to work or to the store. On a few occasions I did go out for longer rides, but these were few and far between. Now, I can feel the desire building to get back out, rack up the mileage. I'm glad I listened to whatever was telling me to not cycle, as this allowed me to turn my attention to gardening ...

The start of a new year has begun, and with it, the wonder of what the next 12 months will bring. I, for one, have lots of hopes. My primary hope is that my family continues to enjoy good health. My middle child for many years was the one who battled sore throats, allergies, and colds. We teased him about being the sickly one. Thankfully, 2010 was a good year for him. He remained healthy overall, only having one or two colds at most. During the fall semester, in November, it dawned on me that he hadn't been sick during the fall months. This was a first in his life. My secondary hope is that I can continue writing, producing like I did during summer and fall of 2010. I truly believe my time has come for creating good work. When I finish a story, the feeling of accomplishment spurs me to continue. I've never experienced this before. And lastly, for 2011, I hope to fine tune my nutrition and exercise. I have several events lined up, giving me something to work towards, and I'm...