5-0 ... and Away We Go

I'm a sucker for milestones and landmarks, even though I don't make a big deal out them other than to take notice. So, turning 50 in 2020 is a treat worth acknowledging and relishing. Having recently said final goodbyes to my Mom and Dad, who are truly testaments to "lives well-lived," I can do nothing but cherish the half century I've had to this point. Thus, looking forward to today and tomorrow and days to come is a gift.

Living more artfully is certainly a goal and an opportunity, not only for my fifty-first year but the era of my fifties, the new decade of the '20s, and all the days out in front of me. I envision and imagine the artful life, for the arts are the essence of life. I recently bought a sketch book, have begun doodling from time-to-time, registered for a class on drawing and sketching, try to visit as galleries and shows as often as possible, and regularly seek to learn and understand more about The Arts. 

I also have goals for the one art, that of the written word, that I have cultivated and developed in my first fifty years, and definitely over the past decade. For, currently, my writing practice is not all that I envision it to be, and I'd like to progress and improve and expand it. One plan is to finish developing the website version of A Teacher's View, which has been parked for years. Along with that, after twelve years of blogging and occasionally publishing pieces, some other plans and goals are to increase my fully developed pieces of long-form writing. If I'm doing it effectively, I'd like to end the year with a habit or routine of one long-form piece for this blog or Medium or even a commercial site. 

And, if I am really ambitious, and perhaps a bit overconfident, I'd like to publish (probably independently) a book length manuscript of some of my best or most popular writing over the past decade. It will be the collection of "A Teacher's View," though I will also add in some new pieces, intermittent reflections, lists and collections, perhaps even some artwork. And, I guess I'll just put this out there, my most ambitious goal is to develop and perhaps even find support for the book-length version of this personal essay, "McLife: a Gen Xer Looks Back at Fifty Years."

We'll check back on this post in about 363 days.