Busy

New year. New goals.  Not ramping things up, but slowing things down.

September is, and will be for many years, the new year.  It's a time to rethink how things are going, to clean out the clutter, to refocus my efforts and make some goals.  This year though, I want to do that by easing up on my days.

I feel that this year will be a year of writing.  Currently I'm in the middle of writing a screenplay.  We're in full pre-production swing and aiming to shoot next March/April.  It's an exciting process that has really kicked me back into gear for writing.

The nice thing about writing is that, for the most part, it's a solitary exercise.  I must force myself to withdraw from the busyness, give myself some space and some breathing room, and slow down enough to immerse myself in fictional lives.

And, as always, I'm constantly trying to get rid of the stuff that surrounds us.  These days I feel like I stand in a room and just stare, trying to find ways to simplify what's around me.  Last week the boys ended up at the wrong end of my futile efforts when I forced them to clean out their "stuff boxes."

This is my last year with Juliette home.  It's already tough, as usual, with her intensity and independence.  But I'm hoping we can find some fall forests to wander through, some adventures through the library, and perhaps even some ventures out of town (how long has it been since I left our little town?)

So here's to a new year, with a little less busyness around.