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Don’t ask me why, but writing seems to be good for everyone, even for those of us who feel they don’t read or write well. Just the mere exercise of putting your thoughts down on paper is good for one’s mental health and is the reason why, years ago, I started writing my life’s story. At the time, I titled my little autobiography, “Why to Go to College … NOT.”

Don’t look too closely, unless you’re gross like me and want to. No, that is not a red Christmas decoration in the picture above. It is an amelanotic melanoma that Dr. Chris Shewmake dug out of the tip of my nose. Gross!

Once again, I am fighting the good fight against the skin cancer on my nose. The dang stuff just keeps popping up and the doctors keep scooping out hunks of flesh to send off for biopsy. Thus, I am working a lot from home via email. And once again, I am reminded how important a well written email is for the reader and for efficiency.

As the weather changes, you may be like me and begin to feel the effects of seasonal depression. The phenomena is so prevalent that healthcare providers have even given it a name and an acronym:  Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This is a type of depression that happens around the end of October with the symptoms being a lack of energy and feeling of hopelessness. Many connect it to the reduction in sunlight, but I think my onset is more from being cold. I don’t like to be cold.

For a person who likes change, I’m in a rut.
FlagandBanner.com is over 45 years old, I’ve been married for over 35, and I’ve lived in the same house for three decades. This rut, I don’t want to change. I love my life. But I would like a new creative project to work on. For me, business is my creative outlet. I like building things and solving problems in groups but only if I have the final say (self-awareness is a virtue).

Sometimes I feel like I am shouting (my metaphor for writing) into the wind. Therefore, when I get a reply of any kind on my blog, I like it. It is nice to know people are reading my weekly posts, even if the knowing is sometimes coming from a not-so-nice comment or an unsubscribe.

Such is the nature of a busy life, when you must travel 2,000 miles to northern California to make time to see neighbors and friends that live two blocks from you in your hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 2007, I turned 50. For my mid-life crisis, I pondered a facelift, a boyfriend, or a new car. I opted for a used, 5-speed, convertible Mini Cooper. Driving it, with the wind blowing in my hair, it checked all the boxes: fast, fun, and dangerous.

Why is New Year’s Day so full of optimism? It’s just another day on the calendar; or is it?
On New Year’s Day we close the books on business, Christmas, and the Winter Solstice. Though the days from January through March are often cold and snowy, they are also getting longer and brighter, so it feels better; like a time for self-improvement, a time to plan for springing into action.