Reflections

This is the view to the west of my house. It is a frequent sight from my living room window, although not as colorful usually as it was this night. I chose this picture because it is the kind of beauty that causes me to reflect on the beauty of nature.

It has been nine months since I last posted on this site. So very much has happened in my life this year, that it feels more like years since my last post. In that time I have considered opening a new blog, but that idea did not come to fruition.

Now I realize that there is more to my writing than just the daily post I put on FB…more that I want to say and more that I want to explore. This blog started out to be a way that I made sense of my world after my husband died. Now I want to explore my writing skills…and my new life ~ the one that I am creating without my partner.

I have a white board in the computer room that usually has my New Year’s Eve resolutions posted on it. Last year, I changed it to Interests (3) and Hobbies (5).

The interests were ancestry searches, stargazing, and shooting. I signed up for a couple of genealogy talks, which gave me hints of how to expand the ancestry tree I had been working on through Ancestry.com. I also joined a Fayetteville WVA facebook page and met a cousin and gained a lot more info. AND, I found, when visiting with a cousin this summer, that she and I share an interest in genealogy. I still periodically work on the searches.

Stargazing has not developed quite so well. I still like looking at the stars when I get up. I can now find the Big Dipper and Orion reliably, but then I mostly always could. I haven’t learned any new constellations, although I can usually find and identify several of the planets now. And, I still love moon gazing. There is something magical about moonbeams shining into my backyard…and sitting within them.

Shooting has never been natural to me. I did not grow up shooting and handling guns. And, I have only pursued it was because of Ed. Over Halloween, I had the chance to go to a friend’s house and do some shooting with my pistol. And, I signed up for an outdoor range. But, that is it. I am less scared of gun now. I can keep my eyes open when I shoot it, and I do not cringe when guns go off around me. Progress, right?

Regarding the five hobbies, camping (did for 3 weeks and a few weekends this summer), photography (periodically I take pictures of my yard and sky and my trip), birding (can identify most that visit my yard but have done less watching this year), gardening (more haphazardly done this year since I was traveling nearly a month), and reading (still an avid reader).

What I have done this year is that I have tried new things and found a comfort level with my self. I am comfortable with days filled with TV movies, reading and errands. I occasionally get myself out of the house with others and doing some activity (even if alone). I am still exploring my own directions and finding my own way. Maybe I will take you with me on this path. Would you want to come?