I'm turning 50 in 2018. It feels like I should make this year special. 

I hope to celebrate my birthday by recreating this photo taken in 1974 with my mom and brothers.

I love the stair-steppiness of the five of us. Also, how we all have that squinty look on our face (except Hugh who made himself a pair of sunglasses with his fingers). 

The photo above was taken by my Aunt Linda whose life and death punctuated 2017 for me and my family.

I'm taking on some new projects in 2018. One, in particular, scares me but I realize that sometimes those are the most rewarding opportunities. 

I listen to a lot of podcasts. A recurring theme in the ones I listen to is pushing the boundaries of comfort in order to grow. Our brains are wired to keep us safe which usually = comfortable.

All I can do is try. I'll probably look like an ass sometimes but what the heck, I'm almost 50! 

Other projects are ones that I started but haven't quite finished. It will feel good to check those off the list.

I plan to choose a word for the year but I usually don't do that on January 1. I'll write about that when I figure it out.

One habit I've been working on is to write every day. Whether on this site, the homeschool law site I maintain, personal projects or just journaling. I try to write 500 words a day but every time I read this post by Srini Rao, I'm inspired to challenge myself to write 1,000 words a day. 

Happy New Year! I hope you're looking forward to doing some interesting + scary things.

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