Hi Everyone,

I hope 2024 is starting well and that the coming year brings you joy.

I been having a lot of time gaps in my recent postings on the blog.  My apologies for that. It’s always been my intention to post weekly with inspiring and fun posts. 

But life happens, I suppose, and it’s been a year since I’ve written. I had great hopes to meet my self-imposed goal for regular posts. I love to write, and a weekly blog seemed reasonable to do.  And, honestly, in a perfect world, it probably is.

My life kicked into overdrive last year, right after I wrote my “Yes and No” post.  There is just something about making a statement to simplify that seems to call in every bit of life craziness to test that fact.

I reread that post and then realized that it was just the start of 2023, in the middle of January, and I was already exhausted.

And that was before I spent nearly a month in Japan (a totally unexpected trip, to see a new grandniece), created all of the decorations for a yearly cancer fundraisers, did numerous home repair fixes, cut up fallen branches from the winter’s storms ( we ended up with a pile that was 30 feet long, 4 feet high and 6 feet wide, that Greg  chipped up while I was in Japan), took two Duolingo courses in Japanese and Swedish, and then finally took that trip to Sweden.

So, I can’t imagine why I didn’t write anything else last year (she says tongue in cheek).

Well, actually I know why I didn’t write anything. When I write, I try to be totally honest.  That’s a little hard to do when I’m living my life totally against my own personal beliefs and what I was telling you all I was going to do next: taking care of myself, focusing on my health, and relationships and not doing too much.

I felt like a total fraud and it is hard to admit that when you are actively living it.  I still do feel like a fraud sometimes. But I suppose I can write about it now because I am finally finding my way back to me.

And while it isn’t going perfectly, I am making progress. I ask for help more. I try to let things flow more, without interfering. But that’s a tough one. I’ve finally cut way back on my scheduled stuff. I’m learning to compromise less.

I’ve got a long way to go, it’s progress, at least.

So, over the next few months, I plan talk about the highlights from last year. I want to get my blog caught up to date. You might not care one way or another, but for me and my OCD brain, it feels like something I need to do.

Besides, I have a lot of pictures and stories from Japan and Sweden to share; pictures of the most beautiful grandniece imaginable, as well as a few other happenings during the past year.

So, for those of you who read my blog in spite of the me not writing anything new, I really thank you for sticking with me and I hope you’ll continue a little longer.

Thank you, and let’s tread joyfully together this next year!

Bev