There are those who mourn the end of a year. There are others who look forward to the start of the new year with wild abandonment. In the past I have been in both of those places. I dreaded the end of 1994, the year my mother passed away, because it would be the first new year without her. I looked forward to the start of 2003, the year I would get off the roller coaster ride that had been my 20’s.

Here I am at the beginning of 2011 and I realize I don’t fall into either category. I am firmly in the Cautiously Optimistic  column.

I am looking forward to new challenges and opportunities. I’m wistful at watching my children move another year closer towards being  “big girls.” I’m excited at the idea of doing the kinds of things that I do best. I’m anxious over all the question marks that have carried over from 2010.

To paraphrase Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gable series — each new year is a chance to make new mistakes. It’s also a chance to find new adventures, and yes new sorrows. But, most importantly, it’s a an opportunity!

So I will try to stay firmly in the Cautiously Optimistic column as 2011 marches forward. I’ll do my best to look forward to what’s to come and savior each new day for the opportunity it is.