Today, I started a blog about addiction to clicks and likes but decided to go in another direction. Instead, I looked at my journal from 2023, after my only child left for college. It is worth publishing today.

I woke up to a more positive outlook today. I am trying to move onto this new phase in my life – reinvention of the self. What if I did not accomplish all the things I wanted to, and what if I was not as brave as I wanted to be? It is time to move on and create amazing new adventures. Knowing I can do that has given me new hope. Everyone who looks at me and expects me to be that little old lady is wrong. I strive to be heard in a unique way. Minute details and wrongness still bother me, and I continue to get caught in all the drama. But I take a moment to reflect on perceived dismissals (really stew about it). I calm my mind to get to the real internal conflict. I ask myself these questions: “How can I move on and work from a place where things make sense in this very moment?” “How do I filter the noise?”

Today is a new day to begin anew. There will always be wars, famine, and death. News will always include political craziness and sad stories. Do what you can, but don’t become overwhelmed.

Teachers will never live up to all your expectations. Learning will continue to be a struggle. Resolve to learn something new and complete a charitable deed each day. Figure out a way to live inside your thoughts and actions. It is how we deal with that noise that is critical to survival. Sometime, routine is the key ingredient to the creation of beautiful prose. When you read or hear something that makes you cry, you know that it has hit home in your heart. You know that the writing is beautiful. Writers are notorious loners when it comes to creating a story and I must learn to live with that. I get out when I need to and stay home to work.

I repeat. Today is a new day. Keep reminding yourself of this and know you are valued and loved. Take one step at a time! I look forward to hearing about your adventures.