New Year, New Something

If you’ve hung out here for any length of time, you know I am not one to make a list of New Year resolutions. I think that just sets you up for failure, and I don’t like failing! I mean, I fail at enough things that I figure there’s no need to add to the list intentionally.

What I do like to do at this time is take a look at the past year- what went well, what didn’t, what I liked and didn’t like, where the year took me and what I did with it. And where I want to go in this next year. So-

Generally speaking, it was a weird year. It was the first full year in this house. It was the year we both got COVID- not bad, as we have been vaccinated, but there it was. It was the year we started to go more places and do more things after the lockdowns and isolation of 2021. But it still felt weird. There was an odd feeling to the whole year, and it affected all of it. I barely managed to get through my reading list for the year, although to be fair, I don’t read nearly as fast as I used to, and I think I am getting to the upper limit of what I can read in a year. But there was a long period in the middle of the year where I didn’t read much at all. I’m not sure why. There was just no desire to pick up a book. Writing suffered, as well. I picked at a few things, but made little to no progress. My whole schedule was off in just about every part of my life. In the last few months of the year, we lost both of our oldest cats to kidney disease.

There certainly was good stuff, too. We went to a few live concerts, and that always makes me happy. We spent a week in Myrtle Beach, SC for the Worlds Championship Chili Cookoff, and that was a lot of fun. I got a new dishwasher, which may not sound like fun, but I was not having a lot of fun needing to wash the dishes before they went in the old one to ensure they’d come out clean. We get to spend more time with family now that we live closer. So, yeah, a bit of good and not so good, but that’s life, isn’t it?

What’s ahead? I have some thinking to do about a few areas that may need some adjusting. I need to reset some priorities, and do some restructuring. I will be keeping up with going to the gym, getting more exercise at home, and sticking to the somewhat revamped eating habits we started. I am going to look for more joy in everything, and try to bring more to everything.

The one thing I do try to come up with every year is a word to set the tone for the year. It’s a way to remind myself of the things I need and want to get from the coming year. And, since last year seemed to stall and sputter a lot, I think this year, that word will be:

Movement

Forward. Keep going. Keep living. Keep on keepin’ on, as they say. Happy New Year, everyone! Let’s make it a year of fun, laughter, joy, and movement!

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My latest published book:

“Crossed Wires and Other Very Short Stories”. Twelve scifi and twelve fantasy short stories that can each be read in minutes. Available now Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and most other e-book retailers. More information here

I have written science fiction, fantasy, and urban fantasy stories. There are novels, novellas, and shorter pieces to fit everyone’s reading time. There are even some free stories, both here on the site and in other places. You can go here to find out more about the books I have published. They are available at Amazon, Smashwords, and most ebook retailers. Thank You