In her annual 12 Days of Christmas for Writers, author Julie Hedlund asks us to celebrate our surprises and successes as we reflect on the past year.
I thought about these words as the holidays came to an end and the new year loomed. Some of my successes and surprises have intersected and some have had nothing to do with one another.
What has intersected? I wrote a poem for a nationalwriting contest and won fifth place. That was both a surprise and a success. I revised another poem and got it published in a children’s magazine. A second surprise and success. At the last minute, during the busy December rush, I wrote a lyrical story for a holiday contest and won an Honorable Mention. A third surprise and success!
(Side note: I have read many articles about staying away from poetry because getting rhyming right is difficult. To have won a contest with a rhyming poem AND getting a rhyming poem published may be one of the biggest surprises of this past year. I might be onto something.
More successes:
– creating monthly writing goals and a schedule and sticking to both;
-making the decision to get rid of excessive and unnecessary social media that was eating up my time and energy and creating unhealthy emotions.
A final surprise was our trip to Colorado in November. It was everything I’ve dreamed of- mountains and wilderness, peacefulness and rugged beauty, solitude and contemplation, energy and contentment. Most of all, it was the awesomeness of the Rocky Mountains that made this trip a success for me.
As we enter 2025, I am thankful and grateful for my family, my health, and for the joy of new successes and surprises.
margaret.r.zotkiewicz 