Week two of January and already the “newness” of the year is fading. That didn’t take long! Perhaps it’s because I’ve begun work again, editting someone else’s book-that-is-about-to-be-published. Once you switch off the Big Fish Mahjong game and begin to think punctuation and dialogue, you know the holiday is over.

I never heard back from the publisher who had my manuscript for half of 2011. They didn’t even reply to my email requesting an update. I guess they’re so busy that even a short, “Can’t answer now – too busy”, took too much time to type. I wonder if it’d be rude to suggest they hire typists with a faster word/min ratio? However, I did hear from the agent’s reader. She liked the first three chapters and wants to read the rest. So…fingers, toes and other loose bits of flesh all tightly squeezed and crossed. Maybe this is the year?

I’ve already experienced some special moments this year. A couple of friends sent me “just because” gifts that were both thoughtful and extremely generous. The Old Boy and I had the chance to catch up with old (long-time) friends, whom we hadn’t seen in a very long time. When we were with them it was as if there’d never been a time apart. I love that feeling. It’s like slipping on some comfy shoes and saying, “Ahhh!”.  And our friends-down-the-road invited us down to their house for a meal.  We were delighted to find they were giving us another Christmas dinner. Even though it was nearly two weeks into January they’d decorated the dining room with candles and Christmas decorations; there was a present for each of us from Father Christmas next to a miniature tree; we had turkey and ham and all the trimmings, and we even had Christmas bonbons and wore those silly paper hats. It was BRILLIANT! Some how revisiting Christmas in January made it even more special.

Just this week I had a movie date with my son (in his 30s) and a lunch date with a teenage girl from our church. I felt privileged and humbled that they would want to spend time with me, and to tell me some of their personal “stuff”. My time with them made me appreciate the good things about having lived a reasonable amount of time, while also making me realise what I’ve already lost. I wish I could have the years ahead of me that they still have, while keeping the experience and understanding about life that I’ve already gained.

I don’t usually do new year resolutions; I still haven’t fulfilled the ones I made back in 19mumblemumble. And, already the diet I started last week has been shot to all heck. However, I’m going to give it a go. This year I’ve decided I’d like to try to keep that sense of anticipation that I felt on New Year’s Day – that lovely fresh-page feeling – going all year.

Every new day is a fresh beginning. Each new day is a present waiting to be unwrapped. (Let’s go. Paper fight!)