It might seem backwards to do the reflecting after the resolving , but that’s my tradition, and, since my other new year’s rule is to do what I want to do on this day and not what others think I should do, I’m sticking to it. That way I begin by taking stock of where I want to go in the new year, and then think about where I’ve been (and how they relate to what I resolved a year ago). It was a pretty great year musically. It began with the first thing that could be considered a “tour,” – my multiple gig Florida trip that involved a great show on Tallahassee and a sold out songwriter’s festival. I also got to play fun (if challenging, in different ways) shows in Portland, Oregon and Atlanta, Georgia. And the biggest thrill was playing at Passim in October, opening for Sarah McQuaid. There’s no place like Passim, and I delivered at that show – I played as well as I’ve played, and I turned out nearly half of the audience. And I recorded a CD! In my favorite place, with my favorite musicians. There’s really nothing more fun than recording (at least when Dave Chalfant is doing the producing/engineering), and I’m pleased with how it turned out. And it was a trip having Dave, Jenny Goodspeed, and Jim Henry (along with Mike Delaney and Ken Porter) join me for my CD release show, which filled the multifaith center at Wellesley. It feels like I’ve come into my own as a musician. I have a lot to learn and a lot to do, still, but I also have a lot more confidence – I can play, I can write, I can entertain. So, let’s look in on last year’s resolutions and wishes. Because we were still at the tail end of the year of my dad’s injury and hospitalization, my resolutions/wishes last year were less extensive and less-public than in previous years, and I didn’t fully separate out music from others. I resolved to play music every day (not there yet, but working on it) and write songs regularly (did it regularly enough to finish the CD, but, again, I’m still working on it. My wishes relating to music last year involved “that my music career take its next steps and keep making progress” and “that my new CD will be great.” I think both of those worked out pretty well. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to open at Passim in the fall and made the most of it, and discovered in the last couple days that I’ll have an even better opportunity there in the new year – opening for Tracy Grammer on a Friday, on her birthday and mine. And I am pleased with the new CD, especially the songwriting and the arranging. I should also add in a note of gratitude for John Dillon (and Viv Nesbitt), and the 20-20 practice that I beta-tested in January. I’ve kept up with the practice (at least the writing/reflecting before bed, if not always in the morning) and it’s been extremely useful. And I’m grateful for the shout-out to my music that Viv gave in the creativity corner on Art of the Song earlier this month, a connection that came about because of being a part of that practice. And I suspect that practice will continue to be useful as I get back to more intensive songwriting this year.