It's The End Of The Year...

I'm sure I say this every year, and at every end of the year, but time sure does fly. More so as you get older. Maybe it's just a matter of perception as you see the years progressing and your limited time dwindling. It's hard work trying to ignore your mortality and what you want to achieve in such a short space of time.

Well, that's pretty morbid, right? But come on, who hasn't felt that rising panic when you think: "Ack! I'm (add age here) and I still haven't done (add what it is here) yet!"  I get these panic attacks once every six months. My first one usually starts in the middle of the year as I glance around and realize nothing on the new year's resolution list has been done. The second attack usually comes around the end of the year as confirmation hits me that (really) nothing has been accomplished.

Granted, some years I'm more focused than others and I do accomplish most of the stuff on my list. Some years, I say.  This year had some pretty good accomplishments, enough to give you that 'feel good happy-dance' moment, but I got a ton of roll-over items on the list that 2013 is looking pretty packed. Groan...

Two major highlights for 2012, well, the third and final of the Lancaster Trilogy was birthed and introduced into the world. It received a 'Best Book' vote and 'Book of the Month' vote by the Long and Short Reviews. Yay, not too shabby, right! And later in the year, I signed on with another publisher and released To Catch A Marlin. So far so good and it's been receiving some good reviews (you gotta love Jax Marlin).

That being said, I still have much more that I wanted to do this year. Like finish The Grosjean Chronicles, Bengaria's War, Time Fracture (heh, this blog post sort of reflects the subject matter in this story), and various other little tales. But, I did make some head way, and I managed to outline some more notes for each of them.

On a personal level, 2012 was pretty sedate despite the boast of it being the Year of the Dragon. Besides the sadness of losing a few close friends and family members, I was afflicted with the daily grind of living, my day job getting even fewer clients calling (damn the economy!), and the rising cost of every day things burning a ginormous hole in my purse. I took reclusiveness to new levels, and as proof, did a mere 200km on my car (roughly) for the entire year (the cobwebs have now taken to manifesting INSIDE the car).

So, aside from the few roll-over items on the list for 2013, I've decided I'm not going to make any more resolutions. I'll just be content knowing that things will get done in their own time, when they are good and ready. This panicky feel I get when deadlines approach and the mind getting addled and the stress rising just doesn't do the soul well (I forgot to mention the new outcropping of gray hairs I noticed this year - very worrying!). 

Like Po in Kung Fu Panda, 2013 will see me (hopefully) taking a breath and trying for some inner peace. Life's too short to be worrying about the little stuffs on the list. So, with a deep cleansing breath, I look forward to the new year and will be ready for all that it brings.

I will.

Okay, is it time to starting drinking champagne yet? ;P

Cheers to all and here's hoping the coming new year brings you all happiness, success, and inner peace! Stay safe and be well. And read more books!