Another August Come and Gone

August is my birthday month, so it is a milestone month for me, a way to mark time so to speak. And even though I enjoy it, I am always surprised each year that another August is here and even more surprised when it has passed on. I am not sure why this manages to surprise me each year, but it does. August was always so exciting when I was a kid. It was the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year, full of possibilities and promise. In a way August is still a month of hope for me, even as I have to remind myself to count each year as a blessing and focus on what was accomplished, instead of on what was not. I have been struggling over the last few days to hold on to the feeling of possibility and promise that each new year in my life brings and I think I am winning the battle. I am consumed by thoughts of new creative and scholarly projects and I can't wait for the chance to begin my fieldwork this year, even if it is still months off. I have writing projects, both for school and for myself, that I want to spend most waking minutes with. I have new books to read for work and fun that promise me both new knowledge and pleasure. I have a new marathon to train for, a sister's wedding to prepare for, and new knitting and cooking projects to try out. I am blessed with an abundance of possibility and I am thankful for that. So here is to a new year, one full of both possibility and promise. To a year of regaining the magic and hope of childhood. Let us make this a year to remember.

I welcome you to break bread with me and rejoice, for every year is one worth living, especially when you figure out how to make this. It tasted good too!