Challenges Can be, well, Challenging

December 31, 2009 is here and I only read 92 books this year, so I missed my 100-book Challenge.  Most of what I read turned out to be nonfiction writing guides or other research for my novel-in-progress.  Since TGAN (now "officially" titled Don't Trust the Rain) is set in Civil War New Orleans, my four memoirs for the "In Their Shoes" Challenge didn't get read either, much less the mysteries for the "On the Porch Swing" Challenge.

Usually, not succeeding in something like this--even though it was voluntary and "for fun"--would depress me tremendously.  This year, it has not.  Whether I am finally maturing in my attitudes (at 54, one would think I was already mature) or whether I am simply loving myself more these days I cannot say.  Perhaps both, with a healthy dose of Hacuna Matata and Que Sera Sera thrown in for good measure.

Just for today, I choose to close out the old year celebrating my accomplishments and not dwelling on what could have been done better.  After all, writing 50,000 words in November despite what life threw my way was a tremendous feat.  I did take a short break, but am back to writing on a regular basis.

I also started crafting regularly again, enough so that I re-established my sales relationship with Stampin' Up!  Not a lot of customers yet, but I joined primarily to collect their products at a discount and have fun using quality papers, inks and stamps.  Therefore, this venture is successful and can only grow from here.  For a personal challenge this coming year, I want to post at least a card or project here a month that uses exclusively SU! components.

And I posted much less here than I would have liked.  I missed opportunities to post my reviews of several fantastic books and even better movies (you HAVE to see "Sherlock Holmes" by the way, and they simply MUST make a sequel--preferably with Jason Isaacs or Ewan McGregor as Professor Moriarity; but I digress once more LOL). 

So, I'll end the decade on a positive note--I have a wonderful job and two fantastic avocations that are supported financially by the wonderful job.  I have my health.  I have great friends who support not only my paper crafting but my writing, and who even (usually) tolerate my reduce/reuse/recycle idealogies.

Here's a final toast to 2009--Thank you for the opportunities to learn and grow and develop into a better person!  Challenges are simply ways of expanding my horizons. 

This is a post to look back; tomorrow I will move forward.  Lots of exciting plans so check back often.