A New Year...2012

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Well, a new year is upon us...2012. I can hardly wrap my mind around the idea that we are already in 2012. When I was a child, I recall seeing, reading articles that predicted what future life would be like. I even remember that show, Space 1999. The idea was that we would be avid space travelers by the turn of the century. Another article I recall from National Geographic proposed that we would have holiday resorts on the Moon...with hotels and shopping malls there. Obviously, none of that has come to pass...and I'm not too disappointed. In fact, it's probably a good thing we're not spreading our tainted humanity around the universe....

But, that is really neither here nor there...not the purpose of this small bit of prose. Here, I simply want to think a bit on the newness that a New Year brings to me, to many. A new year means a chance to start anew...to start over...to get a do-over. Of course, we cannot undo what we've done in the past, cannot escape the responsibility for foolish, thoughtless or even accidental actions we've taken. But, we can have an opportunity to do things differently, to react and respond in a new way. And, we can pick a new path to follow. If we've been hopelessly self-destructive, we can decide to follow a more constructive path, a path purposely chosen rather than one that we just happened upon and follow for lack of initiative to seek another. The new year is a new beginning..and I, for one, am quite glad I have the opportunity, the chance to do things anew and differently.

Part of my plans are more about refining what I had already begun in the year past. I want to be even more determined to exercise...and to exercise better. I want to eat even better than I have been eating. And, I want to allow even fewer things to stress and bother me.

New in my life for this year? That is a good question. I think that the new direction will be my involvement in some sort of helping project(s). I still want to get to know my county, my area, to know the people and the towns that we find in this area. I want to discover the hidden gems that may be out there...but I want to enjoy the search as much any possible discovery. I hope to take some time on weekends to drive the back roads and ways to find what might be out there.... And, I want to step-up the writing projects and processes. Perhaps the novel...certainly lots of essays...and that's about it.

Well, there you have it. The New Year...a time for new beginnings. The New Year...a chance to refine what is already good. The New Year...an opportunity to go new places--geographically, professional, emotionally, etc. May this New Year be all this and even more for all of you.

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