As I often do this time of year, I am taking a week off from writing the blog. My motivation for this is not only the holiday season, family, and so on. For me, it is also about spending a bit of time reading and reflecting. At this time of year, I often find that my favorite publications and columnists produce some of their best material.
In my opinion, the reason for this high quality journalism is that people are more reflective than usual at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. And, writers are certainly no exception. As such, I am reading a number of columns with themes such as “what I learned” or “what I was wrong about” in 2017. Others are commenting on what they plan to do differently in 2018.
Without specifically looking for it, I am running into quite a bit of new material that speaks about individuals discovering—rediscovering—the power of their personal stories, and how they can use them to influence their worlds. That will be a good place to begin 2018.
So, right now it feels like a good time to just send my best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year. And especially, to say thank you to all who read and reacted to what I wrote in 2017.
Image: Flickr user peter castleton