2012 Has arrived!

Well before I start let me brush the cobwebs away from the blog. Where did the time go in the last two months that I didn’t blog – to be honest I don’t know. Towards the end of the 2011 I was in a funk with my writing and other things. I lacked the motivation to do a lot. But that is behind me and now I’m looking forward to brand new adventures and exciting journeys.

It’s the 1st of January, this time last year I was in Colorado at the beautiful Estes Park.

I did have a year of travels which is really kind of hard to believe. In May we went to Trinidad to renew our visas so that we can stay in the US for a little longer. That was a week of relaxing by the pool and indulging in reading, reading, and more reading.

The last two places I visited really hit me with their historical significance and the realisation that what I think may be a big struggle is nothing compared to what these people went through.

The first place is New York – wow, I love that city. It’s so rich full of amazing sites to see and it has an amazing history. Actually getting to see the Statue of Liberty up close took my breath away. She symolises so much. For the immigrants she represented new hope and place where dreams aren’t shot down. On that day when the skyline of New York changed dramatically she wept along with the rest of the world. Now she looks with pride at how her city has moved on from that tragic day. She still is a beacon of welcome that will never change.

I’m writing this blog from the last place I visited in 2011 and am starting 2012 off in – San Antonio Texas. When I was a kid I’d heard about the Alamo – saw my parents watch the movie on TV. To me it was just a story, a movie, a legend that perhaps was not true, But of course as I got older and understood more things the events of the Alamo were real and did happen. On Tuesday Dec 27th 2011 I visited the Alamo and it really hit me then that my fears of submitting work pales in the face of what just over 200 Texans faced that day – March 6 1836. They knew their lives were going to end but for them they were fighting for what they believed in – freedom and the hopes and dreams of all Texans to be free and independent. Something that still runs deep in all Texans. As I walked through the building the echoes of days past surrounded me. The most sobering moment was actually seeing a bullet/musket hole in the wall. It was REAL and it DID happen. My fears seemed so little then.

So while I can’t compare myself to those that sought out a new dream in New York, arriving with nothing but a suitcase. Or the people who fought for the freedom of a State, I can take on their courage to face the fears that hold me back. Because if I don’t then I’m not living up to my full potential. I’m not following my dreams. And I’ll accept whatever the outcome is, because I’ll know I’ve given it my best shot.

Bring on 2012.

NF