Imagine My Surprise

I've always contemplated starting a blog. I'd been kicking around ideas for my blog for a couple of weeks. I knew I wanted to commit to it for a year and to focus in on something specific, a la Julie and Julia. I thought about chronicling my walks, my critters, my students. I was afraid to have to do something every day. I wanted this to be a stretch but not grueling. I wanted to grow in the process, but I wanted it to stay fun.

I let it roll around inside me, trusting the process. Things burbled up and were dismissed: too hokey, too hard, too boring, too shallow. Because I am going to turn 52, I honed in on the idea of doing 52 new things from one birthday to the next. I liked it because it was simple, clear---and I could aim for once a week but I'd have flexibility. I wouldn't be out there with a 102 fever trying to do my new thing for the week like the man in our valley who hiked every day for a year, even when he was sick and miserable. I liked it because it would get me out in the world more, get me to step out of working mode, serve as a commitment to engender writing and to increase my aliveness at the same time.

I decided I'd write about each new thing for 52 minutes. I debated making each posting 520 words. I went looking for blogs to begin. Imagine my surprise to discover there were already a zillion "52 new things." Gads. Do I go back to the drawing board, try to find something that resembles original thought?

I think I am going to go with the fact that I will be doing 52 new things at age 52---my one claim to fame. ;-)