A cup of possibilities!

Today is a day I've been looking forward to for quite a while now, and it's so meaningful to me personally I wanted to share it with all of you. After 25 years in journalism I decided to launch out on my own, and so today I begin my new life as a fulltime freelance editor, writer and blogger! Most of my blog readers would never have known anything is different in my life, but because I have so many local friends who read this blog as well, I thought it appropriate to let you know what I'm up to. There have been so many changes in print journalism in recent years, I took stock of where my writing career was headed and decided it was time to shake things up a bit. I may be a mild-mannered tea sipper on the outside, but I've got a longing for new challenges on the inside, and I'm always thinking about ways to create a bigger life for myself. Two truths I greatly believe in are: 1) A favorite verse from the Bible: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) and 2) From the movie "Thelma and Louise": "You get what you settle for." In a bit of fine and divine timing, I finished working my two-week notice on May 3, and I turned 49 on May 4. I have said for years that I would have a new career when I turn 50, and I can hardly wait to see what all I can get done in the next year!

Now I'm not really afraid of risk (if you wake up in the morning and get out of bed you're taking a risk, after all), but I had so many dear friends at the office that I was afraid of saying goodbye to them, so I tried to get most of the goodbyes in early. My fellow employees were (and are) some of the brightest, most hard-working, most loyal and most *fun* people I've ever known, and I am so glad I will still get to see many of them, in person as well as through regular visits on Facebook. My friend and co-worker Christy said she didn't believe me when I told her I was going to work on my books and other freelance writing projects. "No you're not," she said. "You're just going to drink tea all day and move your teacups around!" Now friends, if I could get paid for that, indeed that is precisely what I would do all day! But instead I will continue this blog (which has opened up some new doors for me), polish up that mystery novel I've been writing, work on the sequel to "Dainty Dining," do some writing and editing for others, and more. One new venture I'm looking forward to is that I have just joined the Clever Girls Collective (you'll note the blue badge at upper right), where I will be doing some paid blogging when the opportunity is right.

On this first Monday of my new writing life, I have so many new things I can and want to do, I am having to take a deep breath and remember I'm only one person. (You may be amused to hear that my husband has taken to calling me "Martha Stewart" and making regular references to "the empire.") For today, I think I'll just sip a nice cup of tea, organize my home office, do some writing, and lift my cup to a future filled with new possibilities! Wish me luck!