Getting Ready for the New Year
A new year has always been a time I have looked forward to. As a child, I used to enjoy the start of the new school term - going to the store with my mom to stock up on new supplies, finding out who my teacher was going to be and seeing where my new classroom was, and generally getting emotionally and physically prepared to navigate my way through the coming school year. As an adult, January brings that same feeling of a fresh start that began each new childhood academic year, though, as a woman in my 40s, I am much more aware of the passing years and seasons. In elementary school, the start of a term was approached with optimistic anticipation, mixed with some apprehension and giddiness. As an adult, the start of the calendar year is a bit melancholy, but also hopeful, as I plan my year and compile my goals, not knowing what the next 12 months will ultimately have in store for me, or for the world. For the past several years, I have made lists of my creative goals an...