971. Hello again (and #BlogElul)

Hello again, world. It's Elul, so I thought I'd honor the month of preparation for something new by revisiting this blog and exploring the newness (including spiffier colors) within something old and good.

Let's see, since February, 2011, the date of my last post, I:

• chanted Torah A LOT, and loved every minute (even the nervous ones, much fewer these days)
• led High Holy Day services last September without being surprised by overly dramatic moments, an experience I look forward to repeating in a few weeks
• created art, in bits and pieces and way behind schedule, that I hope will be on a website very soon
• went to the gym more often than before
• wrote very little (and acknowledged that I can't do everything)
• said hello to my stem cell recipient, who's feeling great
• said goodbye to my dear cat, a beloved companion for 13 years
• ended a long friendship that had become toxic; as sad as a death, and I will be mourning this loss for a long time
• continued to be blessed with good health, an abundance of amazing, non-toxic, loving friends, unparalleled opportunities, and lots of luck.

In short, it was a year and half of life; a bit of a roller coaster, but not too much to complain about and an awful lot to celebrate.

I'm going to try to belatedly jump into #BlogElul, a terrific idea, and post throughout the month on the topic of the day. I'll also post links to the brand new @altoartist Twitter account. Today's topic, for the 9th of Elul, is "Blessings," so it seemed like an auspicious moment to count mine. A few weeks ago I also signed up for Grateful 160, which prompts you every day via email to list one thing for which you're grateful. Some mornings it's harder than others to find that blessing, but I always do—and then realize it was staring me right in the face.