Ending a Year

One thing I do every January 1 is to take the kitchen calendar and use it as a tool for looking back over the events of the year. The trips, appointments, celebrations that are written down serve as way of remembering other things that don't get written down. For me, reflection is a better way of moving forward than making resolutions. Self-reflection and clarifying. Backwards and forwards. In fact, I found it interesting to learn that the month of January was named after the Roman God Janus who had two faces – one looking backwards and one forwards. Makes perfect sense.

I've spent quite a bit of time this year thinking about how I live my life. I know many of you are aware that Tom and I have toyed with the idea of moving to Pittsburgh. Well, beginning in February, that's where I'll be. We rented a duplex for 6 months as a trial; I'll spend most of my time there, coming home every other month for a calligraphy class and spending some time in the office. I'll be working remotely and developing a once-in-a-lifetime relationship with my grandkids. Tom will visit for sure, but will primarily hold the fort down here. We both have a certain amount of trepidation, but there's also an excitement about it. Probably more for me than for him.

When I originally started talking about cutting back on my job, taking a piece of it that would permit me to work from basically anywhere, this is what I had in mind. Spending time away from Tulsa when possible. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. A new journey, that's for sure.