Musings on New Beginnings

I’ve been thinking a lot about new beginnings recently. Most people mark January 1st as the start of their new year, but for me, September 1st has always symbolized this transition. Maybe it’s because I spent thirteen years going to school, four years in college, two years in one graduate program, two years in a second, four years teaching elementary school and the past twenty years teaching on and off at universities.

September has always been a clean slate. It’s how I organize my appointment book (which I still write by hand because I’m too worried I’ll mess up the digital side of things if I rely on my phone.)

It’s the time I set new goals for the year, both small-scale: What do I need to do today? And larger goals: What do I want to have completed by next August.?

I finished writing the novel I’ve been working on for the past year and I’m starting a new one. This is my favorite stage in the writing process – there’s a world of possibility and each subsequent choice I make about the writing will narrow this world. At this stage, I like going for walks and just thinking about what my story could be, what I want it to be. Also, what I don’t want it to be.

After taking the summer off, I have my fall manuscript editing clients lined up. I’m eager to help them tell their stories in the best possible way.

I’m making the push to sell my artwork online. This is a new undertaking and incredibly terrifying, but also, really exciting!

I’ve been asked to be one of three judges for a writing competition and I will begin reading submissions in October.

September coincides with the beginning of fall, my absolute favorite season of the year, so I’m always a bit giddy when the weather starts to cool down. And even though we barely get any fall leaves in Los Angeles, we do have one tree in our front yard that celebrates fall.

This is also my oldest son’s last year of childhood, which makes every single event this year the last of something. So far, just the last first day of school, which was enough to make me want to cry. Happy tears. But also, it will be a year of learning to let go, which seems to be a lesson I’ve been faced with this year. Losing my dog perhaps was practice for what it means to let go of my beautiful son who is evolving into such a compassionate, hardworking and talented young man.

It feels as though everything is charged with change, which leaves me wondering, how will I change this year?

Do you have any intentions for the year? If so, feel free to share them in the comments below.

Click here to sign up for my weekly book recommendation newsletter, out Tuesdays.