And Before You Knew It, The Year Changed
Well, hello! How on earth did we get a week into 2010 so quickly?
My siblings and I occasionally wonder aloud if this “time flies” perception has something to do with age, which I agree with to a point. But it’s also reflective of our lives. We simply have too much sh…stuff to keep track of. Back in November, I’d taken an idea from an old friend to post something, even if it was just stream-of-consciousness crap, every day. I kept it up for….I believe a day. Then on December 31st, I revisited the idea. As soon as I thought it, I believe it was time to make dinner. See how easily your writing time gets pushed aside?
So here we are at the tenth of the month, and I’m going to try again. Whether The Child comes down, reads over my shoulder and talks my ear off, or if it’s time for dinner or even bedtime, I’m going to do my level best to write daily in this wonderful year. It’s been too long; the dry spell was far too lengthy. It’s time to regroup, take a deep breath, pour a glass of wine and get down with my creative self. Hurrah!
On New Year’s Eve, we watched a stand-up bit by a comic whose name escapes me about bloggers who call themselves “writers”. He insisted that if you were a blogger, then you were not a writer. You were simply a person who occupied a space on the internet. Again I agree with that to a point, as there are many blogs out there clogging up valuable internet space that are nothing more than mindless drivel or posted videos that have been lifted off YouTube. But what about those of us who have made the odd dollar with our words, who like to use our blogs as an outlet; a space to blow off the cobwebs, a spot to talk about crap. People like me whose first love is the written word are fastidious enough that we’re not going to post libelous or misinformed comment. We do have standards, after all. And we are writers. Not just bloggers. There. That’s that said.
Without getting into a long tirade about the Year That Was, 2009 was a busy one for Ray and me. My move across the country was done in stages and it was a long, arduous process that wasn’t without its extreme ups and downs. Mom settled nicely into my brother’s house and while her health is still a study in good days and bad, she’s well cared for and still doing remarkably well, despite her wayward daughter uprooting her just days short of her 90th birthday. As I write this, Contrary Mary is back down at my sister’s in Florida, surrounded by sunshine and warmth and even more people who love her dearly.
Alberta still strikes me as a very foreign country. I fear the settling-in process might be a lifelong one, as I attempt to get used to a province full of far too many rednecks who drive pickup trucks and smell of cigarette smoke (People! Have you READ the statistics?) I’m still employed in the deli-from-hell, but I’m trying my damndest to change that situation as quickly as possible. The Alberta Boom? Jobs for everyone with wages unmatched by anyone else? It’s a myth, friends. It’s tough out here.
But life goes on and with every new year comes another chance to get it right. Even at my advanced age, I still have a head full of ideas and goals and a desire to realize them all no matter who stands in my way or slaps me in the head and tells me I suck. It’s time to climb out of the rut and go for what’s mine. Hello, World. The Old Girl’s back.
