A Quiet Year?
Until today, when I scrolled back through my calendar, I had no clue what I’d feature as my Top Ten Highlights of 2023. For the most part, it’s been a quiet year for me. Or so I thought. Looking back, I've come to realize that the cumulative nature of smaller events and experiences can make for a highlight-laden year. Here we go!
M*A*S*H production location Malibu, CA |
9. Writing retreats. More travel! For these, Southbridge, Massachusetts and Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. SO worthwhile. I highly recommend spending long weekends with like-minded people.
At the huge house! |
8. The writing itself. Things started
off at a snail’s pace this year. I was slowly developing the plot, characters, and
a few opening chapters for a brand new book, which is all well and good. But as I was slogging through, I woke one morning with an out-of-the-blue concept and a bellyful
of excitement, excitement that had been missing so far this year. I’d never stopped
writing a book midstream, but this time I did. Now, just a short time later, I’m 88% finished with a first draft. And I’m still excited.
7. Inspiration. Where should I set this
new book? How about the hurge house where we stayed during Lake of the
Ozarks retreat.
6. Fun opportunities. Yep. It was time to take advantage of a few. I attended an 8-session West County Citizens Police Academy. Then I went ahead and did the 4-week advanced course. Totally different, I got to see Dan Santat just before he won the National Book Award. I went to an event featuring a psychic medium. And I drove a couple hours to attend an event featuring the International Pictures of the Year competition, during which we participated in a mock voting. Reminder: keep doing stuff like that!
It's heavy! |
5. Learning something new. I volunteered to
develop a website for a group I belong to. Challenging, simple, but it exists!
4. Award. Competing in a category which includes books for adults, my YA took third place, Best Fiction. from the Missouri Writers Guild.
3. Surprising a classroom. A Texas teacher whose classes I’ve virtually visited a number of times—she reads The Gollywhopper Games with her students every year—moved here, to St. Louis. Instead of seeing one another through webcams, surprise!, I dropped in instead.
A few of them :) |
2. New friends. No need to explain, right?
1. The icing on the cake. Amid this all, a dear, dear loved one, who experienced a very extended hospital stay, is now home and doing really well. So even if 10 through 2 never happened, I'll take a quiet year like 2023 any time.
Jody Feldman is feeling very grateful writing this. By this time next year, she hopes to feel the same and hopes you will, too.
Life is full of memorable moments when we take time to reflect. Thanks for that reminder Jody.
ReplyDeleteHow true all these smaller moments do add up into a fabulous year.
ReplyDeleteWhat a seriously cool year!
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