On a blustery winter morning, I sit with a candle and ruminate on the coming year in a writer’s hodgepodge. Earlier this week I finished the local lecture circuit of kayak talks by enjoying  a wonderful night at the Charlevoix Library. The local folk were encouraging and plentiful. I was surprised being the first in the travel series in the first real week of January to have such a large crowd. I also signed a contract for more talks in Grand Rapids in March and Bay View in July. Later in the week I completed an interview and wrote the first two blogs of 2020 for the Downtown Management Board. With the help of Ben Walker and Hillary Davis at Roast & Toast, I was able to begin a new series for the blogs entitled, “Local Spirits.” Thanks for the idea, Ben. Yesterday I penned an Op-Ed for the Washington Post. Since I’m not anyone famous, I doubt very much that the piece will be published, but it felt good to write and send off. And finally, I received an update to the collection of funds for the Little Traverse Literary Guild. I was pleasantly surprised to find we’ve added $3,500 in one month’s effort. I know there are a few more commitments remaining but I shall not count the chickens before they hatch. On that note, we’ll schedule a meeting for this month and a cocktail reception for the new donors in February. Oh, I forgot one thing. “The Penny” is off as a manuscript with the lawyers and editors of the publisher for a review. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything comes back okay. I don’t think there were any landmines in the pages, but you never know what someone else may think. As the days slowly brighten with the sunsets arriving later, I hope my mood does the same. I feel as though I’m entering a dark phase, and that worries me. There is nothing but good on the horizon and my brain wants to shuffle sideways and to the rear. The emotions are curious and the brain chemistry weird but the reality is the reality. I will write and paint my way through. I will work to love my family, home and community. And I will certainly work to love myself. Venturing through 2020 will be fraught with political intrigue; bright writing memories and, hopefully, new awards granted; new grandchildren (forgot to mention that one); and the days will turn and the sun will shine on flowers in the garden. For now, the candle flickers and these words help bring in the new day as the best day of my life, since at this moment, it is the only day I am living.