A New Year. A New Start. A New Me?

May your 5771 be as sweet as honey...

If you're reading this, I welcome you to my first blog. I've been wanting to do this for a while but continued to put it off. Intimidation may be a good feeling to describe getting my blog started. What do I write about? Do I have anything redeemable worth saying? Will my writing be forced or flow naturally? Do people care about what I have to say?

Ultimately it occurred to me that I need to start taking some risks in my life and exploring things outside of my comfort zone. I'm a natural writer. I have always had a passion for writing, journaling, sending novel-sized letters to loved ones, or making up stories. Maybe it's genetic, seeing as my mom's a retired librarian and my dad is a literacy professor. I've been told by more friends than I can count that my "life adventures" are interesting and I need to start writing some of these stories down.

I have a few ideas about the direction I want to go with this blog, but feel as if I'm going to go a more "organic" route and see where my writing takes me. I'm a secret follower of several blogs from amazing women I have grown up with and find their writing refreshing. I love their honesty about life's challenges and find myself cheering for them and their successes. It's nice to have peer-mentors out there (although they're prob not aware of it...YET). As I embark on my blogging adventure, I welcome any advice from other writers out there.

At sundown tonight begins the start of the Jewish New Year. I find myself lucky to get two "fresh starts" every year (God knows I'm the type of person who needs it). As most of the world makes their resolutions on January 1st, I find it more of a time for celebration. It's Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew for "Head of the Year") that I use as my time for self-reflection, resolutions, and the motivation for change. Ironically enough, Mercury is also in retrograde this week (which also indicates a time for change). So as the New Year begins (and the stars re-align), this is where I begin this new adventure. Join me won't you?