Cara/Andrea here, musing on the new year and what new things it will bring.
For many of us, yesterday marked the return to our normal routines. The merriment and revelry of the holidays behind us, we get back to work, armed with resolutions—both large and small—to make some changes for the new year. Perhaps it's learning a new skill, or making time for a passion that we've always wanted to pursue. Maybe it's carving out a small interlude of relaxation from everyday stresses or vowing to hit the gym on a regular schedule. Something about the concept of "starting fresh" encourages us to look at ourselves and see if we can "shake things up a bit."
For 2010, I'm taking on a new challenge that both exhilarating and little frightening. I'm going to be doing something I've never done before, which is teaching a college seminar on the Regency Romance Novel. I've already started doing my "homework", re-reading old and modern classics, and making notes of themes and topics for discussion with the students. It's been fascinating seeing what new things I see in a familiar story, given the new perspective. (More on that in a future blog) And it will be even more fascinating to see the books through the eyes of the students, and hear their thoughts and feelings. Just as the seasons keep being reborn, books are constantly being reinterpreted by new generations of readers. To me that's part of the magic of stories.
I look forward to reporting in occasionally during the coming months on how my challenge is going.
Now, how about you? Have you taken on a new challenge for the year, be it large or small, mundane or offbeat? Is this the year you are going to do something you've always wanted to do, like learn photography or take a cooking class? If there were one "dream" change you could make to your regular routine, what would it be?
