This is the first day of the year.

This is the first post of the site.

These two things are related in that the latter happens on the former.

Woo hoo.

I have started and restarted blogging many times. This time is not special. I don’t have any exciting grand plan for this space. I do have a plan, though. I plan to write words. I plan to do it regularly. I plan to use the regular writing of words to lead to better writing of words.

At the moment, I am sitting at my little corner desk in the laundry closet, drinking coffee that I’ve already let get cold, and writing this very first post. The coffee is still good, the closet is the warmest place in the house. I am content.

I live in the PNW, but I celebrated the arrival of this new year when the ball dropped in NYC with some mint tea. I promptly went to bed, as I prefer mornings. I awoke hoping for a New Year’s miracle of warm enough temps to melt the snow. I love how snow looks - a magical carpet that brightens up the whole world. I do not love how snow completely isolates us - as my car is not able to get up our ice driveway, my bike is definitely not leaving the stand, and my walking paths are covered in slush. Alas, there was no miracle. Snow shines back at me, like glitter, as the morning sun taunts me - knowing that, at best, it will melt a little and serve up fresh ice in the morning.

Rolling with the times, I am using the day to reflect and prepare. Not prepare like I may have in the past, with big bold statements of all the miles I will run and books that I will read, but prepare with a mind for what may come. I know that I must put in my lottery application to backpack the Wonderland Trail in February, for example, so I put that reminder in my calendar. I did not; however, plan the trip or declare that I shall do it. It may be that I do not get a pass. I have taken to other things similarly. I am planning my reading, but not in how many books I will read, but how I will read them. I hope that with this focus, I can feel more intentional. I’ll still run many miles and read many books. I’ll probably write about it.

My claims for the year:

  • I will run
  • I will go on my first solo backpacking trip
  • I will read
  • I will write - and I hope to write several essays with a point, not only stream of consciousness

Let’s see where that takes me.