I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, or Kwanzaa, or “a few days off work,” depending on what you celebrate, as this will be the last blog peep you hear out of me for 2013. I hope the remaining days of this year allow you time to spend with people you love, including yourself. (I digress a little, but don’t you think radical self-compassion is one of the most underrated things ever? That, and new socks. Don’t be afraid to throw out your saggy, threadbare, non-elasticized socks, and to be kind to yourself. )
There have been some great things that have come to me through this blog, and my favorite one is the connection. When one of you feels comfortable or inspired enough to share something really personal in the comments, I can absolutely FEEL your emotions coming to me off the screen. When that happens, I’m honored, I’m moved, and I’m excited to remember the power of the word and conversation. It makes me want to write more, so thank you, to all of you who have joined me on this site and opened up a line of communication. Thank you.
I wish I could be less of a cliché and say, “Geez, 2013 moved at the speed of a snail,” but alas, no, because it fricking flew by in, like, 16 seconds. No wonder my manuscript isn’t finished. HA! And so the book edit will roll over from one year to the next, and I will tear out more hair. It will get done, though. It will get done. And when it’s finally done, it will be good.
Besides finishing the book edit (and then selling the book), my wish for 2014 is to do more paid travel writing, to expand my mental illness speaking platform to include middle-school-aged kids, and to add some mainstream sites and publications for my mental health writing. I’m pretty sure I can do it, although I broke out into a small sweat just typing that sentence. But one day at a time, right? And then before we know it, it will be 2015. Actually, in another 16 seconds, if this year is anything like the last.
What are you wishing for in your life for 2014, and what about it makes you a little bit nervous?