Say it is isn't so. Is it almost the new year? You blink and time passes. I am taking a deep breath and am about to do that thing that never comes easy to the likes of me (and many millions of others) – I am about to give myself some credit. After I am done everything that I have shared will be out in the world – like leaves floating on the wind – and I will not be able to take it all back. I know – this isn't an easy exercise, but it is a necessary one. So here goes: the up

A very short story. Once there was a very eager writer. She got up very early in the morning to write. It was so early that even the sun was still sleeping. It was so early that the dew wasn't ripe enough to fall. It was so early that the blackbird opened its eyes with annoyance and said with an angry chirrup, "go back to bed, I am not yet ready to wake the world with my song." Once there was a very eager writer. During the morning – in between errands, chores and the kind of

Do you know where you're going to? I don't. Some people just have a very clear picture in their mind of what they want to be, what they want to do, how they want to get there, the milestones on the way... I am kind of envious of this certainty, but not really, because such certainty is bound to breed disappointment when the roadblocks aren't surmountable or when things don't turn out exactly as expected. When your vision is more opaque, it is easier to roll with the punches.