So This Is The New Year

Here it is, 2012...

And so begins the obligatory post reflecting upon the year past and looking forward to the year ahead.  Forgive me the lack of creativity, won't you?

On this day last year, I did something I'd vowed to never do: I made resolutions.  The gist, if you don't feel like clicking through, was this: Before 2011 ended, I would be published and paid for it.

So how did that work out?  Well let's see...

I had a two-page spread in a national magazine this spring - of course, I didn't get any money for it.  

And I placed second in a local writing contest, netting a five hundred dollar prize - but only the first place winner's story appeared in the paper, not mine.

Hmmm...let's not quibble over technicalities.  Between the two, I am going to say that I hit my mark.  So, yay me!  

Based on these results, it looks like making resolutions is a good thing for me, wouldn't you say?  So if a little resolution is a good thing, a big one could possibly be great, right?  With that in mind, I have not one, but two biggies on deck for this year.

First up - I need to find a new job.  Yes, my current job pays well.  Really well.  And no, I'm not likely to find another job at the same salary.  But do you know what?  Leaving the office at five shouldn't be considered "going home early".  Missing dinner with my family should be the exception, not the rule.  And working myself into an ulcer is plain stupid.  So a change is definitely in order, and if it comes with a hefty pay cut, well so be it! 

This October would mark my ten year anniversary with this company.  And I hereby resolve that I will NOT be collecting my service award.  And besides, what is the sense of earning another week of vacation that I don't have time to take?  Big step, but so necessary.

And just because turning my life completely upside down isn't enough for me, I'm going to add a second resolution into the mix - and this one is even scarier than the first.  It's time to stop screwing around with the writing thing.  I invested a little bit of time this year and got some positive feedback from the universe.  So 2012 is the year that I put my heart into it.  Maybe I'm not meant to write books, maybe short stories are all that I have.  But unless I try, I'll never know.  So resolution number two: complete a rough draft of a novel by the end of the year.

So there you have it.  Where I'm going, and where I've been.  And hopefully another place I'll be is here, a little more frequently than I have been as of late.

Happy New Year, friends.  May 2012 be a year full of wonder and grace for you all.

xo