Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Well, it’s no surprise that with the new year comes the desire to change.  I’ve made several resolutions this year some of which I will reveal through this blog and My Mount Everest throughout the month.  Last year was spent doing a precarious balancing act just to keep our heads above water.  Ramses’s layoff at the end of 2008 set on us the very stressful journey of searching for a way to pay our bills and him looking for a new career path.  Rejection and closed doors were a huge part of 2009 for us.  We enter 2010, not exactly where we hoped to but we’re are both optimistic that this year will begin an upswing for us.  We made it through one of the roughest years we have ever faced together stronger, wiser, and far from broken.   So take that, 2009!  You didn’t take us with you *raspberry*!

My first resolution for 2010 is to write everyday.  Whether in my blogs or working on the manuscript for my Shadow Ridge novel, I will write.  I found an article on Zen Habits about forming 6 Habits for the New Year and I was tremendously inspired.  You choose six new habits and devote two months each to making them part of your routine then committing to them as publicly as possible.  The idea is simple and attainable.  The first habit I plan on taking on is writing everyday.  I figure since it’s my passion that it should be the easiest to stick to and since public commitment is part of the plan my blogs are a perfect place to start.

There are also a few changes to the site.  I updated some of the tabs at the top of the page.  Feel free to take a click and look around.  It’s still a work in progress but aren’t we all?

So, what are your New Year’s Resolutions?

Fresh Start

Last summer I wrote about Leaves and Branches in my other blog, My Mount Everest.  The saying “leaves and branches” came from a passage from my favorite book, Musashi.  It is used as a metaphor for the seemingly meaningless things that distract us from what really matters.  After all, leaves wilt and branches break but it’s the roots that run deep.  However, leaves and branches play a very important role in the life of a tree.  The branches reach out to provide structure and form while the leaves soak in the sun’s rays helping the tree to grow.  While it is imparitive to let go of the little things that hamper progress, it is also necessary to enjoy those fleeting moments and those things that at first seem unimportant because those are the things that help us grow.

This new blog is an effort to focus on the small everyday things that make me think, bring me happiness, or just help me laugh.  While I intend to keep my other blog.  I will be trying to post here more often.  I have yet to conquer my mountain and I have not abandoned my journey but I feel that it is time to nurture the things within myself that come easily and bring me joy.  Not everything in my life is an uphill battle =).

As I struggle up My Mount Everest I will also take time to enjoy the Leaves & Branches of my life.