X marks the spot
Originally published at kelliowen.com. Please leave any comments there.
Many people look forward to the new year
for a new start on old habits.
~Author Unknown
We mark time in so many ways. From the tiny seconds that seem to crawl while you’re waiting for that first kiss to the years that are gone in a blink as your children grow up. We mark a year’s passing by both an individual birthday and a collective New Year. And we often take time on any one of those calendar markers to assess what we’ve done, who we are, or where we’re going.
I’m a different person this morning. Not because it’s 2013, but because it’s today. Every decision I made yesterday led to the way I started today. And today’s will lead to tomorrow, then next week, and before you know it, there will be pledges of this or that as 2014 creeps up on the clock. So rather than a grand sweeping of self-imposed promises to either change a bad habit or create a new one, I think I’ll just live for today, and work my way toward tomorrow. No resolutions, just plans-made of goals, desires and dreams.
In the past couple years I’ve gone through some insane changes. I’ve lost myself in the fight for some. I’ve found missing pieces in the silence left by others. But I’ve learned one thing over and over again: I don’t ever want to stop learning, growing or changing. I don’t ever want my mind to become stagnant or my heart to be jejune. I want to be passionate about everything, learn new things that intrigue or scare me, push my own limits, and reward myself with beauty and grace.
What’s on the 2013 adventure map? There are lots of things among the many dotted lines that lead to the giant X marking the treasure of time. I’m going to play catch-up on my body art and get those tattoos. I want to see at least two things in the world I haven’t yet, Aruba here I come! Since Christmas (thank you, Santa) I’ve started to explore understanding and reading runes, so I can learn how to toss the bones. A belly dancing class, maybe a new language, and so much more.
And I have four novellas and two novels slated for this year, one of which is due very soon. So I’m going to stop talking about 2013 and go live it now. To the fullest. Everyday. Cue the playlist…