Twenty-Eleven

I have rearranged every room in our cozy apartment, and made some improvement in the process.

One intricate brass antique lamp salvaged from my parents' basement storage room. It used to be a kerosene lamp but was converted some time ago to an electric lamp. It brings light to our living room.

The lamp that was in our living room, given to us by my husbands parents, is now in the game room. It's smaller orb of light encompasses the game table perfectly.

One new lamp from the Menards across the street, a bit masculine if you ask me, but both convenient and pleasant next to our bed. Also, my old childhood dresser, I painted it blue sometime in high school, is now in our bedroom. As well as some lovely fabric used for curtains!

All of the cupboards have been rearranged to accommodate my ever growing collection of dishes.

All is new and bright in our household.

2010 was a year of beginning. My hope a year ago was that 2010 would be a year of beginning my adult life. That I would reach out and become more brave. I had no idea how far I would come in this year. Looking back, from this perspective I can see that my hopes were realized. I have become more brave. I have learned how to budget and manage. I have writ pages and pages and pages. I have read and I have learned and I have seen more of the world. I have listened to a broader range of music, and found many more musical loves.

In many ways all I could hope for 2011 is that it would continue what I started in 2010. That should tell you how fully 2010 lived up to my expectations.

In 2011 I would like to put together a new body of poetry & make steps toward publishing a few. I have considered myself unworthy of publication in the past, even to the point of rejecting my own chapbook for self-publication, but that is full of silly fear and I can do better than that. This is my career. This is my job. And this pursuit is enough. This is how I choose to live my life.

My ultimate hope for 2011 is that I can be more active. Socially, physically, & mentally. But I also hope to temper this activity with genuine meditation and a calm center. It's a lot to hope for, but "faint heart never won fair lady" or something, something, optimism...