Every year, around this time, I start thinking about my plans and hopes for the New Year. Inspired by Debbie Macomber, a dear friend, I like to choose a theme word, and I’ve selected “Renewal” for 2017. As in, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..”
Frankly, I don’t make resolutions–in my case, they seem to be made to be broken. 🙂 I do set goals, but I’m a greater believer in the God-Has-A-Better-Idea approach, so I’m inclined to say, “This is what I would like to happen, Lord, but it’s up to You.”
I’ve been setting up my bullet journal (see Pinterest for zillions of great ideas and explanations) for 2017, with lots of things included: sections for tracking my progress with habits I’m hoping to make or break, lists of possible blog themes, books I’m reading or listening to. The Civil War histories have their own section, and I record all other books separately. I include an affirmation and a favorite Bible verse for each week, as well, and this is nice because it keeps my thoughts going in a positive direction. I’ve outlined my goals, using lots of shapes and colors, and this year I’ve decided I will do 12 New Things, one each month. I haven’t decided what they will be yet, and they can be large or small or in-between–I just want to be a little more adventurous. 🙂
I’m still listening to hiking books. Go figure. I’m well into HIKING THROUGH, by Paul Stutzman, vicariously traveling the Appalachian Trail. I’m learning a lot in the process; for instance, there are through-hikers and section hikers. The first group does the whole trail in one go, from start to finish, while the second, as you’ve probably guessed, does a section of any given hike whenever they have the time and/or money. It’s a challenging project, as you can imagine–blisters are always a hazard, as are bears, wasps, dehydration, bad water, broken bones, wrong turns, heavy packs and running out of food between supply stations.
Which is why I’m a vicarious hiker.
About Linda
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West.
Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a horse property outside Spokane.
