Ends and beginnings — there are no such things.
There are only middles.
~Robert Frost

What a difference a year makes …

I’ve always loved January.
I’ve always loved my birthday.
I’ve always loved the Summer Solstice, and the first day of spring.
I’ve always started diets on the first day of the week.
I love the first day of …

Well, you get it, right? I’ve always loved the first of ANYTHING … the clean slate and the hope, promise, and wonder of new beginnings. I’m a great beginner. I love starting new yarn projects, new books, new paintings. I love the thought of hitting the reset button with a chance to begin again, to attain new heights, to have all my expectations met, to FINALLY be fulfilled, enlightened and blissfully content and happy.

January 2016: My heart was full of excitement and my soul ready for love and adventure. My glass was overflowing and I knew this was the year I was going to find IT … puzzle pieces were falling into place and I was on fire!

What a difference a year makes …

January 2017: My heart was broken … well, maybe not broken but a bit damaged with some floating fragments. My soul wasn’t seeking adventure, it was seeking solace. I couldn’t even find my glass. I couldn’t find a damn puzzle piece. I was icicle cold.

Yet … I breathe.

Maybe, just maybe, this is the year to relish in the mushy middle — to find the joy and laughs and delight in the paths that I am already on. Maybe I begin less, start less. Maybe I worry less about the finish. Maybe I smile more as I enjoy the sights along the way, delighting in each beautiful little miracle I find.

Yes, this is my new first … delighting in the goodness of the middle, where all the rich, juiciness, and sweetness of life is found. Yes, I’ll enjoy the space between the new beginning and the finish — that is where you can find me this year.

Here’s to the middle!