I must say, this year started off just about as well as I could have possibly hoped for. And thank goodness, because last year pretty much kicked my ass from start to finish. Actually, it ended on a rather high note, with a rousing game of Scattergories played with my most favorite people minus one snoozing toddler. So, all’s well that ends well, I suppose. Still, I’m more than happy to move on.

Quite a lot of time has passed since last I self-published a piece of writing to the world wide web, and not a single public post in all of 2016. I say public because I’ve actually written a handful of entries, all of which are filed away on my Google Drive. Perhaps one day they’ll find their way to this space, perhaps not. For now, I’m choosing to focus on the present and the future, letting the past rest and remain behind me. For a deeply nostalgic and sentimental person such as I am, this is an entirely new approach.

Change is afoot, personally, professionally, politically, practically everything is in a state of transition. I can either resist and recoil, or accept and take action. Not only is resistance futile, it’s frustrating and downright exhausting. Acceptance, on the other hand, creates space for growth. And while growing isn’t always easy and quite often painful, it’s sort of the purpose of life.

Regardless of what 2017 may bring, I plan to find myself on the other side better, stronger, happier, wiser. I intend to listen more, learn more, love more, practicing gratitude every step of the way. Also, I ate an extra serving of black eyed peas for lunch, so I’m pretty sure luck is on my side.

Happy New Year!