This
week, news programs review the past year. The good and the bad, mostly the bad.
Do you spend this time reviewing your life, career? Or are you thinking ahead
about the coming year?
The
name of the first month of the year comes from the Roman god, Janus, the
two-face god. Statues, like the one to the left, show him looking forward and backward. The time
between Christmas and New Year’s is a good time to do both.
Looking
back, 2015 was a good year over all. The high point was the birth of a
granddaughter, my son’s first child. Enjoying time with my other two
grandchildren, one (8 y.o.) is a reader like her grandmother as well as
a writer; the other (5 y.o.) taught me how to play Candy Crush. I’m not sure that
was a good idea. LOL. Reconnecting with old friends, making new ones, enjoying
fairly good health. Two trips to Arizona to visit our son and his family,
two to Indy to visit with my sister, a couple of shorter trips around
Michigan, my first airplane trip in eight years, which wasn’t too bad. And I
got back to sewing—something I haven’t made time for in years—making a jumper
for my older granddaughter and a dress for her doll.
On
the writing front, I released two books—The
Protector (An Outer Rim Novel, Book 3) and The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé (An Alex O’Hara Novel, Book 2). I
also wrote a short story for The Roses of Prose holiday collection. Alas, the
Christmas novella didn’t make it. Time got away from me. Maybe I could make it
a Christmas in July release. Hmmm.
What
does 2016 hold for us? Plenty of surprises, I would guess. I’ve already started
the next Alex O’Hara book, and I even have a title—The Case of the Meddling Mama. Hopefully, more trips. More time playing
with the grandkiddies. More sewing. Better time management. That’s the key. I
tend to go in spurts, getting totally immersed in a project to the exclusion of
everything else. Not good.
In
the past, when I’ve written goals (resolutions), I’ve tried to make them
specific (e.g., finish three books). While that’s good since it’s measurable, I
need to make one overall goal. A balanced life. Vague but more important than
the number of words written per day or books released. Keeping things in
perspective might be a better way to express the concept.
Share your old year accomplishments and/or new year goals. While you do that, I’m putting aside my computer to play with the grandbaby.
