Pushed by a bitter breeze, tiny whitecaps scuttled over the waves while layers of winter-tinted cotton batting clouds stretched across the sapphire sky mimicking the mountainous shoreline. From inside the ferry’s forward lounge we admired the view. Maybe if we hadn’t known it was the first full day of winter we might have been lulled into taking a walk on the deck. Watching other more venturesome passengers with chins burrowed into their jackets, bent into the wind and clutching at hats, however, I was less inclined to be enticed outside.
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It was a beautiful day, full of anticipation as we travelled to Vancouver Island for Christmas week with some of our family. There were grandchildren to see, special worship services to attend, Christmas gifts to share, family doings to catch up on, turkey and trimmings to consume (and consume it we did; you can never have too much turkey).
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It’s been a wonderful week, but now suddenly it’s time to head homeward again. We’re into the last week of December. I don’t relish leaving our family, but there are different things to anticipate at the other end of our return ferry trip… new beginnings to accompany the coming New Year.
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What are you looking forward to in the New Year? Have your writing goals changed?
MUSINGS 
I always look forward to the New Year with anticipation. A few years back I started writing down some goals that I hoped to see realized in the coming year. It is always fun to go back over that list at year’s end and see how many things on my list has been accomplished.
This year I plan to finish some writing projects that have been idling for too long.In fact, I’m going to add them to my list this year.
Happy New Year, Carol!!
I’m so glad you had a wonderful Christmas, Carol. It’s one of life’s many joys, spending the holidays with family. What else really matters. I hope the New Year brings a new adventure, blessings, and much happiness. See you there.
Hey, Carol! I’m really hope to make some progress this year, like getting an agent and a book on contract. That would be such a dream come true! I’d also like to edit another manuscript I buried away and finish the one I started in September. Eish… sound like I need to get busy now!
Glad you had a great holiday!! I did too!
Since acquiring an agent, they have changed. I’m hoping to snag a contract this year. We’ll see….
Sounds lovely, Carol. It is difficult to leave family and head back to “the real world.”
My goals have changed this year, too. I’d love a book contract, more speaking engagements, and more articles published in different venues. Thanks for asking!
We once took that ferry to get to Nanaimo. I got sick from bad oysters and my wife got pregnant on that trip.
Not a trip I’d repeat.
Oh, that sounds lovely!
For 2010, I hope to finish writing something, instead of starting a new project every few days….
Laura – Examining those earlier goals at year end is a good way of discovering how effectively we’ve proceeded through the year. Great idea!
Joylene – We’ve been very blessed by being able to spend Christmas with at least one of our married children every year during the past decade, either at their homes or at ours. They all live in different cities and it always seems that we don’t see them nearly often enough. It makes Christmas extra special when we can be together.
Kristen – That’s quite a list of goals! Good for you! It sounds like you’re going to be busy this year.
Katie – Acquiring an agent obviously made this year memorable for you. I hope 2010 brings that book contract.
Jeanette – I’m with you on some of those goals… especially getting more articles out. I still want to focus on my novels but while I pursue agent representation the articles provide ‘bread and butter’.
Andrew – What can I say? That’s obviously a trip you won’t forget. Hopefully the resulting family gives you pleasure and you avoid bad oysters now. 🙂
Daphne – With so many good ideas rattling around in one’s brain it can be hard to focus on just one but you’ll get so much satisfaction when you follow one through to its completion. I have an ‘Ideas’ notebook to store the thoughts that pop up while I’m working on something else. That way I don’t lose the ideas but my current project doesn’t get derailed either.
Instead of last year’s “I’m going to get an agent” this year I’ll rephrase it to I must try to get an agent. I mean, come on, how did I expect to land an agent with a total of four queries sent?
I know the feeling, Tricia. I didn’t send out any this year! Next year….
Happy New Year to you and yours carol,
Thank you for visiting my blog and making comment about my poem, very much appreciated.
I look forward to following your blog this year 🙂
All the best for now,
Doug.
Thanks for coming by, Doug. I write very little poetry these days but I appreciate how well you combine emotion and description to create the desired mood. I’ll be back to check out your blog again.
I like to see New Year as a time for reflection and a time to plan ahead. I don’t like the idea of throwing everything from the previous year behind you or making the assumption that the new year is going to bring some magical cure all. I look at what I’ve done and the path I walked and I look at where I can improve on things and where I should go next.
Wishing everyone the best of nights and a great new year.
It sounds like a very well organized approach, Cassandra. That way you don’t ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’.
Happy New Year to you.