On New Year’s Eve, we sat with some friend’s and made a silent wish for the New Year. My wish for 2012, for Maria and myself, was that we each have the most creative year of our lives. Once I would have thought it arrogant, even dangerous, to wish for something so wonderful. My grandmother would have warned against arousing the evil eye. But I have learned not to be afraid of life, to await the infinite expectation of the dawn. Life is good, life is precious, life is short.

I am not really a believer in luck or fate, although there is some of each in all of our lives. I do not believe that wishing for something makes it so. I believe, though, that I must open myself up to the good and wonderful things in the world, and not accept the judgements of their idea of news. I wake up every day, and ask myself, what can I do to make my life worthwhile? Creative? Loving and meaningful? I work every day at this, every hour of my life.

It’s only January and I feel I might get my wish, that this may be my most creative year. In New York, at Random House, I picked up a copy of the cover of “Dancing Dogs,” my first short-story collection, out in September. It’s a funny, quirky, surprising book, and I can’t wait for it to come out. I am nearing completion of an agreement to write “The Story Of Rose,” an e-book original, due out sometime this Spring or Summer. My next children’s book “Lenore Finds A Friend,” the story of Lenore’s wonderful friendship with Brutus the grumpy ram is also out in September and it is a sweet, sweet book.

I will turn in the “Frieda” book this year and begin work on a book about Simon, and what animals teach us about mercy and compassion. And it looks like I may have found a home for my Writing and Story-Telling Workshop – Hubbard Hall, the legendary arts center in Cambridge, N.Y. I hope we can assemble some writers who want to tell stories about rural life and that we can assemble these stories into a book. Rural life is in great and difficult transition in America, and nobody is much writing about it. This could be the home I’ve been looking for for this workshop. We are, I believe, the stories of our lives.

I want to continue my work with Battenkill Books to shore up the notion of an independent bookstore. Connie will be involved in all of these projects and we will continue to expand the Battenkill Experiment. So this is just January and I don’t have time for too many more creative adventures this year. But there is the photography and the blog, and photo shows and who knows what else? Dreams do come true, if you help them along and allow them to breathe, and don’t qualify and diminish them with the fear, anger and cynicism that pervades so much of life. I intend for 2012 to be the most creative year of my life. That is my ambition for myself. I think Maria is on the same track – she is doing amazing work, selling everything she makes –  and how wonderful to share it with this wonderful and loving and creative  human being.