A New Year and my 300th post!

I can't believe this will be my 300th post. I'm sure there are many of you that have far more posts on your blogs because you blog daily. However, I'm not a daily poster. I post whenever the mood strikes me or when I want to share something. So to have 300 of these "brainstorms" under my belt is a major accomplishment for someone who has been the queen of "Mr. Toad mania's" most of her life (me).

What is a "Mr. Toad mania", you ask? Well, the reference is from the Disney animated film based on the Wind in the Willows books. In the Disney version, Mr. Toad's eyes begin to spin in bright Technicolor every time he is overcome by a new mania (a new obsession-driven hobby or interest). His mania's come on strong, take over his life, and then eventually wane. The mania portrayed in the film is his mania with motor cars. When Mr. Toad's eyes begin spinning, he holds his hands out in front of him as if holding an imaginary steering wheel. Then he makes sputtering sounds like a old Model-T Ford. This is the classic "Mr. Toad mania" stance that became well-known in our home when I was growing up. If one of us was showing signs of launching into a new mania, it was appropriate to take on the "Mr. Toad mania" stance and then offer a few sputtering sounds for good measure.

I've been known to indulge in some "Mr. Toad manias" in my life. I won't bore you with details. But let me just say that when I launched my blog simultaneously with my newfound creative pursuits the summer of 2007, there were some family members that just chalked it all up to being another "Mr. Toad mania" for Cindy. Deep in my heart, I knew it wasn't. I knew I was on the horizon of a new season of my life that was much more permanent and rewarding than any old mania. But when one has a history of being Mr. Toad-ish, one has to expect to have naysayers. I can happily say that I believe 300 posts de-bunks any vestiges of this blogging thing being simply a "Mr. Toad mania".

It seems fitting that this milestone of 300 posts comes on New Year's Day. It also seems fitting that I have nothing truly profound to write about the close of one year and the beginning of a new one.

I used to be the type of person that was focused on sketching out my "5 year plan". When I got a new calendar, I was all over it marking everything I could think of all the way to the end of the year. The older I get, the more I realize that living in the moment is how I can best release the extra drops of joy out of my experiences. The richness of my "now" is far more vivid and delicious than daydreaming about or trying to calender the future.

As I pulled some mandarins off the tree today to bring them inside as a treat for Hubby and me, the oil from the rind rubbed onto my fingertips. Even hours and a number of handwashings later, there's a faint tang of the citrus oil left as I press my fingertips to my nose. It's so yummy. I stopped typing right now just to sniff. That glorious essence of fresh mandarins will eventually slip away. Whether I stop to breathe it in before it fades is all up to me. How sad would it be if I were too busy to stop and take a whiff?

So here's to a brand new year full of new mandarins to sniff. And while I'm doing the sniffing, if I happen to feel like writing about it... I will. Happy New Year everyone!!!!!