Hello 2013!

Happy New Year to all of you who have checked in with CHICKS ROCK! since its launch in 2008! I will speak for my fellow bloggers as well as myself by expressing my hope that you all had a happy holiday season.

I don't know about any of you, but I was deeply shaken by many events that took place in 2012. The horrific shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the brutal rape and death of a young woman in Delhi that received international attention, and the repercussions of Hurricane Sandy in the Northeastern U.S. affected me for a variety of reasons, but particularly because I have personal knowledge of the places involved. I know that those who have suffered and continue to do so are no better or worse than I am, and that I am not immune to their horrors. Instead of becoming deeply paranoid, I am focusing even more on the simple pleasures of daily life, while remaining humble and sympathetic to those far and near who are going through difficult times. It is one of my many New Year's resolutions to maintain this balance, because it is too easy to get too self-involved or to become obsessed with everyone else's issues while avoiding your own.

I am looking forward to the year ahead, and hope that there will be more progress rather than setbacks in my own life, as well as in the world around me.

What are your expectations for 2013?