Looking Ahead Now

"The Best of 2008," "Top This and That of the Year" and whatever other version of looking in the rear view mirror has been all over the place. People like to reflect, I suppose, and that has its place in the grand scheme of things.

I don't need to reiterate that the year took a dive into the shitter. I don't need to tell you to look over both shoulders and watch your 6. Are we all holding our breath waiting for the next ax to fall? You're turning green! Am I?

For me, 2008 was the year I took off with writing. Not only did I build up A Bumpy Path, but I started eyebald in order to make myself some room to write about the bits and pieces of news that flew under the radar, stuff that could have much more importance than the amount of air time it got. This 'honing' came in handy as I branched into journalism and reporting for a local paper.

I've been greatly inspired by some of my favorite blogs:

Susan at West of Mars - The Meet and Greet wrote and published a book (congratulations Susan!) of her fiction and tells about her experiences while doing it. It is exciting stuff! Her characters are alive, and there are times when I find it difficult to wait for the next installment of her online novel.

Mike, the TEFL Don, at My Thai Friend, shares his day to day challenges as a non native living in Thailand, the Land of Smiles. On top of the language barrier are a host of cultural differences, small things that you wouldn't notice just visiting, that make the experience exciting, and in some ways, exotic. It's all punctuated by beautiful photos that take your breath away.

I find myself imagining what it would like living in yet another country with A. at A Changing Life. Wondrous photography of a magical place, explained just enough to whet historical curiosity and a yearning for more. It's like falling into the photos, instantly feeling what it must have been like to be there hundreds of years ago.

A good neighbor of mine is 'The Hawg!' over at The Natural State Hawg. He'll get me laughing with his follies, and his rants are priceless. If something ruffles his feathers, he gives a well-thought out list of points, pro or con. You've got to admire a brain like his! You can only take my word for it, but I talk to Ethan every now and then on the phone, and he is exactly the way he writes. He has been incredibly encouraging and supportive of my writing adventures, and I doubt I'd have gotten as far as I have without him. He has opened the door to Arkansas for me!

Pam's is another brain I admire, and you can find her at pamibe and beannachd. There are times when I'll write about something on my mind, only to visit one of her blogs and find she's been thinking along the same lines. She has her eyes wide open and catches nuances of things that have a broad impact. I've come to depend on her vision, let's put it that way.

It's pretty amazing how much your world can expand and grow just by reading. I've come to admire and respect Susan, Mike, A., Ethan and Pam through their blogs that I read just about every day. The mix of fiction, different places and vision of these writers brings me a focus I've never had before.

Mine is a life of flux. It always has been. But, I've got good company with my favorite blogs and my constant readers. It's an adventurous, bumpy journey, no doubt about it; and I'll keep my focus on looking ahead. 2008 is in the rear view mirror getting smaller and smaller.

Thanks for reading!