Sunshine on the water looks so lovely.

the Atlantic Ocean on the last day of 2010

I went on a run this morning along the causeway in Marblehead. The moment the sunlight bounced off the ocean and into my soul, I had John Denver’s “Sunshine on my Shoulder” on my lips. It was a good run and a great place to do it. (The video itself isn’t that great, but I wanted to include the song.)

Blog Linkage for Amy: Hilarious as Usual and Hopefully Fruitful.

My friend Amy has asked for a blog link for this post to find a generous man thwarted. This is the best reason I’ve seen yet. Got any ideas for her?

A Rose by Any Other Name: A Post on Books, Knitting, 2010 Adventures, Rumination on Names, and Hopes for 2011.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve intentionally held off from posting because of how worked up I was about some specific parts of the holidays. And now that those are over, and I’ve had some time to reflect, I’m ready to write again.

You might want to take a potty break now. Fill your water glass, or grab a mug of tea or coffee. It’s a long one.

The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.

Barbara Hall (born 1961); writer, producer.

Holiday Attitude Adjustment

Like many people, the holidays stress me out. They remind me of the terrible things in my past that I just don’t want to remember. I woke up this morning just wanting it to be sometime in mid-January. Each year I look to holiday decorations and making cold-weather gifts to perk me up, but it’s just not working as well as I need it to this year. So, I’m stepping it up. It’s time for a holiday attitude adjustment.

Greetings, December.

Is it really December?

That means my birthday is in a week. The (maternal side) family party is in a little over two weeks. Winter solstice is in twenty days. And then we usher in a new year in thirty.