Fresh starts have always excited me.
… looking at a brand new calendar or notebook and wondering what is going to fill those blank pages
… moving to a new place and putting everything exactly where it needs to be
… signing up for a course to learn a new skill
… entering a new relationship (personal or professional)
And really, who hasn’t, at some point in their lives, dreamed of leaving it all behind and moving to a new place where no one knows anything about you or your past?
So, when Linda Samuels asked me “What becomes possible with a fresh start?” for a blog post she was writing, I told her that it’s all about eliminating clutter and keeping only things that are important to you. To me, the answer was clear, and I expected that others would respond similarly. When I read Linda’s post, I was inspired and delighted by the wise words offered by Linda’s other colleagues, and I think you will be too.
Read Is Hope in the Equation? and join the conversation!
On a personal note, I just have to share that as I was answering Linda’s email, reading her post, and now writing this one, John Lennon’s beautiful song, (Just Like) Starting Over, has been going through my head non-stop. If you find it going through yours now, you have me to thank. 
Janet- What a wonderful blossoming of the fresh start conversation! Some “new” things excite me more than others. I am always energized by a new blank journal, learning something new, and the first day of a new month or year. All these things suggest possibilities and opportunities to grow from our mistakes and go forth using our strengths.
I love singing, humming, bopping to music. Admittedly, I don’t always know the words. I tend think I’m singing the correct lyrics, but am actually just making up my own. Our daughters like to remind me of this. Tunes often get “stuck” in my head, so I totally understand how John’s song happened upon you. Enjoy the music and the thoughts it conjures up.
Thanks so much for the connection and continued conversation about fresh starts. Fabulous!
Linda, I also enjoyed Sue West’s post about fresh starts on your blog this week – especially where she points out that a fresh start doesn’t mean leaving everything behind, but only those things that no longer have a place in your life. Instead we can build on our positive memories and experiences to have an even better future!
How loud and clear your words spoke to me, Janet. “Eliminating clutter and keeping only things that are important to you” — that’s one of the things I like best about moving house (that and making a nice nest of the new place).
Even though there are no plans for a move in my foreseeable future, I have found myself noticing lately a lot of “stuff” I’d be quite happy not to take with me if I were.
I also like that idea of “building on positive memories and experiences to have an even better future.
A thought-provoking post, Janet. Thanks.
My pleasure, Kathy! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
When you said, “And really, who hasn’t, at some point in their lives, dreamed of leaving it all behind and moving to a new place where no one knows anything about you or your past?”
That would be me. Sometimes, it would be nice NOT to have a fresh start. The song that often runs through my head is the theme from the TV show Cheers. “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name…”
If you choose to start fresh that’s fine. If you have no choice in a “fresh start” every few years, moving to a new place where no one knows anything about you or your past, it gets more difficult to look at it as an enjoyable experience.
Thankfully, we have social media, Skype and much cheaper long-distance phone plans that we used to.
Jacki, I never thought of it that way. Thank you so much for showing me the other side of the coin.