I'm tossing up the same meme this year as I did last year because it still fits my sentiments, but with one big difference: last year on January 1st I was filled with trepidation, this year I feel hope. 2017 is behind us, and a shiny new year is spread out ahead.
Last year I bobbed along with the rest of you in the swells and troughs of world and local events, uplifting ideals and harsh realities, but we are - most of us - bobbing along still. Along the way some nice things happened, both personally and professionally: We raised a new baby chick in the spring along with our first 2 ducklings. I saw old friends, made new friends, attended some cons, and continued to love my quiet, rural life. The troughs included one of our beloved dogs, one of our horses, and three of our chickens not making it to see the new year. There were people who didn't make it as well, some known to me and some who had enriched my life from afar. On the writing front there was much to be thankful for: my first book was published (not once, but twice!) and was nominated to the Nebula Recommended Reading List. Another book was accepted by a different press and is now in pre-production. And though I've spent most of the past two years with my head buried in my work-in-progress novel, one of the very few short stories I wrote during that time made it to Tangent's Recommended Reading List as a starred entry. I taught writing for the first time in a 3-part workshop, and presented at a local conference. And I continued to fill blank pages.
I don't usually make resolutions and am making none this year, just staying open to and appreciative of the unexpected joys, both big and small, that the new year may bring. I wish peace for you all - both in your hearts and in the larger sense - and a happy and healthy year ahead.
LC 1/1/18
Last year I bobbed along with the rest of you in the swells and troughs of world and local events, uplifting ideals and harsh realities, but we are - most of us - bobbing along still. Along the way some nice things happened, both personally and professionally: We raised a new baby chick in the spring along with our first 2 ducklings. I saw old friends, made new friends, attended some cons, and continued to love my quiet, rural life. The troughs included one of our beloved dogs, one of our horses, and three of our chickens not making it to see the new year. There were people who didn't make it as well, some known to me and some who had enriched my life from afar. On the writing front there was much to be thankful for: my first book was published (not once, but twice!) and was nominated to the Nebula Recommended Reading List. Another book was accepted by a different press and is now in pre-production. And though I've spent most of the past two years with my head buried in my work-in-progress novel, one of the very few short stories I wrote during that time made it to Tangent's Recommended Reading List as a starred entry. I taught writing for the first time in a 3-part workshop, and presented at a local conference. And I continued to fill blank pages.
I don't usually make resolutions and am making none this year, just staying open to and appreciative of the unexpected joys, both big and small, that the new year may bring. I wish peace for you all - both in your hearts and in the larger sense - and a happy and healthy year ahead.
LC 1/1/18
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