And so it begins ....

So here it is, the end of August. As the summer comes to a gentle end and I look forward to the Fall, I am reminded that this is for me the most reflective time of the year. Traditional New Years with its focus on excessive drinking and the residue of years spent in a panic over having someone to kiss is NOT a favorite holiday for me. Its no wonder that I always spent the time between Christmas and New Years far too distracted by silliness to set goals or make plans or ponder resolutions.

But in September the urge is strong to begin again, to make improvements, do things better or smarter. I love this time of year - when change is in the air - but also anticipation. I love how Septemeber reminds us to focus and enjoy every drop of Indian summer sunshine, really feel it and enjoy it because, in short order, it will be replaced by chilly winds and gray skies.

Without a doubt, this is a most fitting time for me to begin a blog and do something new. For some time now I have struggled with the best way for me to capture my life (I believe that examining the life we live - our thoughts and actions - can lead us to living better lives). I enjoyed the process of paper scrapbooking - it combined the pictures I love to take with journaling that allows me to capture the "story" behind the image. But it was too costly, time consuming and space invading when I moved from Baldwin to Levittown. Digital scrapbooking was my next idea but I just don't have the technical skills or the time to learn them. Which put me in limbo.

While I deliberated, I spent many happy hours getting lost in the blogs of other people. I have been inspired, educated, amused and even irriated at times by the insights and interesting points of views of some of the bloggers out there and, whether I agree or not, I have always admired their willingness to open their lives to others - to share and invite us in. And now I take the big step and I have finally found the courage to begin my own.

It will be my private blog for now. A way to store the thoughts and images of my life. With time I hope to open it up and share.