Quote of the Day:  The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks, and then starting on that first one. Mark Twain

This seems like a fitting quote for the beginning of the year. How are you doing with your resolutions? Mine is to make one change, and write one scene per week for 52 weeks. Last week, I walked a little bit more than usual, and I wrote scene #1 for my play writing, and I scheduled rehearsals and set the date to have my first full-length play, Coffee Shop Confessions, performed at The Coco Moon. I still need to confirm with two of the actors, then I’ll officially annouce the dates. Very exciting. I didn’t know if I was shaking more from the caffeine or the adrenaline from taking that big step.

Lately, when I cook, I set off the smoke alarms. They were going crazy yesterday. I opened windows, ran around and checked to make sure there wasn’t smoke coming from another area of the house, stood outside a minute, but saw nothing to alarm, except for the blaring alarm. I turned off the oven and stove and turned on the fans, and left the windows and doors open. Then, the phone rang. (I thought the neighbors might be calling to check if I was okay.) It was my friend, Krista, from across town. She didn’t hear the alarms. But, about that time, they finally quit. We discussed a good change. I’ve been invited to more shows at the Guthrie, and just this week, to attend a performance at the Children’s Theatre in Minneapolis. Very exciting. Krista called to tell me she could accompany me to one of the shows.

Another good change stemmed from the smoke alarms. They sounded again today as I was frying up a salmon patty. It wasn’t that oily! So, I decided to clean the stove and oven. But first, I pulled out the stove to clean behind and under it. Amongst the usual dirt and greasy dust bunnies, I found a Starburst, a Nerf bullet, my spaghetti server, and sand. I can’t for the life of me remember a single recipe that called for sand, but there it was, piled along the edge where the counter met the stove.

I’m also experiencing a change in my own backyard that I’m not as excited about. I know, it could be good, but right now it just feels sad. I live on the edge of town, and had a lovely wooded view, see family photo, here.

Last Wednesday, the work crew pulled in. The backhoe chomped up the trees like a hungry dionsaur, piling the larger ones off to the side, and setting the rest to burn.
View from the back.
Well, you can’t stand in the way of progress, especially when it’s cold outside. You might as well embrace change, because it’s always there. And, you never know, something really positive could come from this new view. I’ve already noticed that my kitchen is much sunnier.
Go. Create. Inspire!
Journaling Prompt:  What changes are happening in your world? What one new thing, or creative effort, did you make last week?