Today’s prompt is Optimism. Use this word as your jumping off point or simply as a word within your post. I always like to approach my life with optimism—perhaps too much sometimes. What is your overall mindset? Are you a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty person? What does optimism mean for you? If you choose to take up the challenge, please link to your blog in the comments and provide a pingback to this prompt.

The year always starts out in a tumultuous way. Seriously. Every year, for whatever reason, I expect a smooth transition from one year to the next. And every year, without fail, I spend January reeling from the challenges that come, one after another from the moment the clock strikes midnight on January first. It’s never a smooth transition. I don’t know why I expect one.

But with ever-present optimism, I know that things will get better. The year will settle into a rhythm—smoother than the turbulent beginnings might indicate. Projects will get done. New routines will be established, and peace will be found like a treasure that’s been lost.

2023 holds much promise. But just like any other year, it will surprise, it will disappoint, it will challenge (in good ways and bad), and it will march ahead, day-by-day, one day after another. May the surprises you encounter be wonderful, the disappointments be few, and the peace be a treasure you carry with you through the challenges you face.