They say that gratitude is the key spiritual practice. They also say that every day above the ground is a good day; put those together and all days deserve gratitude. And in this case, atypically, “they” are right.
For me, this year brought a parade of strange health challenges. If I say six root canal appointments in a month, does that give you a clue? Aside from that example, I will spare you the organ recital.
And for all of us, waves of variants brought unwelcome flashbacks to 2020 and derailed many of our plans.
Yet in many ways it’s been a fine year, for me and I hope for you.
This year I made new connections with thought leaders who are championing the cause of older women’s stories, including Mary McBeth, editor of Memoir Magazine, and Ruth O. Saxton, author of The Book of Old Women. And my connections were strengthened with many of you. I look forward to growing our network even more in the coming year.
I published my debut novel in October, just after my 68th birthday, with the able assistance of my partner and publisher, Graham Bird. Brilliant Charming Bastard continues to enjoy rave reviews from other authors and from readers. Many thanks to all who have posted ratings on Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and elsewhere. And for those who’ve not read the book yet, people tell me it’s fun to read. Which is great because it was fun to write!
During National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
in November, I wrote the first draft of The Palace of Wisdom, the sequel to Brilliant Charming Bastard. Nothing like committing to write fifty thousand words in thirty days to motivate a person!
On a personal note, I met my two pandemic grandbabies, born on opposite coasts in 2020.
And in the world at large, this year saw some great developments in the battle against ageism. As activist Ashton Applewhite says, “Ageism is a hot topic (finally!).” The United Nations instituted an international day of older persons in October and began a campaign to end ageism with the hashtag #aworldforallages.
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