Retrospective and Looking Ahead

What a year it has been.  I became bolder.  I reviewed more fanfic stories and, because I was more vocal, made friends in fanfic throughout the world.  That's one of the highlights of my year - I enjoy having friends in places other than the US, it helps me pull away from being so insular.  People in the US have a habit of staying inside their comfort box and dismissing the outer world as "others".  But those "others" have lives every bit as important as ours, ideas every bit as ingenious as ours, and they outnumber us by a large amount.  So I think it is important to open the gates to the castle and not lose sight of the land beyond the crenelated walls. 

Sometimes it seems that the US perceives

itself as a castle against the forces of the world. 

Wake up America!  It's a big scary world filled

with some wonderful people.  Open the castle gates!

I did some craft work - not as much as I wanted, but I had a good time with the items I made.  My jewelry box "When Anar Rose" is an excellent project that taught me how to paint silk, something that I want to play with again this coming year, and my Holiday Stars were sent to friends throughout the world and loved wherever they landed.  My enamel work, although incomplete, also turned out excellent, and my metalwork continued.  I didn't get a chance to sketch as much as I wanted, but I don't think I ever truly get enough time for my creative side. 

My happiest times have always been with my

nose in a book.  Now I tend to read electronically,

but my nose is still in a book, it's just a virtual book.

I did review many stories, acted as a beta reader for my friend Iris, and became a more active participant in the fanfic boards that I joined.  Reading, as always, has been extremely important to me and I don't see that ending - I've always had my nose in a book since I first learned to read.  The only difference is that I can carry a library along with me in my Nook now, so I can have my nose in electronic pages instead of paper, but the general effect is the same. 

Every action causes a reaction.  Try to make your actions

have positive results.  I fail at that often enough, but it

is a constant goal of mine and I try to achieve it daily.

And I worked hard at the shop and at my craft, met my friend Seth for a delightful afternoon of wandering the zoo and catching up on our lives, threw Chickie a birthday funeral that she is still talking about, entertained my BFF Sharon who came up for the Labor Day weekend again, and attended the Renaissance Festival each weekend from August into October.  I went to workshops, saw friends both old and new, and donated to charities and causes when I could and when they needed a helping hand.  Looking back on the year, I can live with what I accomplished.  I tried to make the ripples that I put into the world good ones that, in turn, would cause positive ripples of their own.  I hope to continue that in the New Year.  I think that's probably the best goal I could have.  Have a Safe and Happy New Year, enjoy your families and your occupations, and spread joy.  It will return to you ten-fold.