I guess it was in 2009 that I began to live the words that I had so often taught during my 30 years as an English/Reading teacher. The words? Written by one of my favorite authors, Henry David Thoreau… We live but a fraction of our life. Why do we not let on the flood, raise the gates, and set all our wheels in motion? Maybe it was that mortality thing creeping in. Maybe I began to see that each day truly is a separate life. Maybe those hot flashes of menopause really were adding bits of courage and adventure. Maybe it was just time…

Because I wouldn’t have believed it if last New Year’s Eve anyone had told me that in 2009 I would run a 5k, a 5-mile race, a 10k and complete in a Sprint Triathlon. Or that I would jump out of an airplane. Pole dance. Agree to pole dance in a Cabaret. Get my own pole for Christmas from my husband. Swim 65 laps without stopping. Wear bootie shorts. Yep, bootie shorts. Write a bunch of children’s stories. Love Tai Chi lessons. Sign up for “Sexy Salsa Dancing” lessons. And create my own 57 in 52 Bucket List.

But I did. And I plan to live more fractions of my life in 2010. I hope that every one of you out there sets all your wheels in motion on this most special day of the year… New Year’s Day. Small increments. Medium ones. Huge ones. Facing personal challenges. Helping others. Seeing the angels in each person we meet… even if sometimes we must look many times for those little wings.

Facing fears… unencumbered and uninhibited. Laughing. Laughing often and laughing out loud. Making someone else laugh. Making someone else think. Kissing our moms and dads and babies and grandbabies.

Embracing life.

And blogging naked.

(OH, NO SHE DI’INT, and I’ll bet no-one believed me… !!)

Ah… 2010 is going to be a very good year. HAPPY NEW YEAR… MAY YOUR 2010 BE BLESSED, JOYOUS, PROSPEROUS, FULFILLING, FULFILLED, GATE-RAISING… and NAKEDLY AWESOME!