"Time is a gypsy caravan, it steals away in the night"
— Rush, "Dreamland"

That's right, I opened with a Rush quote. I'm of an age and a mind where the Canadian Power/Prog-Rock Gods are considered the height of human achievement. I'm certain some folks will find this a quirk on my part, but I refuse to be apologetic.

Regardless, I am not here this month to talk about the superhuman ability of Neil Peart on the drums, nor am I going to sing the praises of Geddy Lee's vocal talents. I'm not even going to rally around Alex Lifeson, who would be a virtuoso in any other band (as evidenced in his solo project, Victor) but ends up shadowed in Rush by the overpowering combination of Peart and Lee. No, as the quote up above evidences, this month I plan to talk about growing Old.

As I have a birthday nearby, I like to use May to reflect on my accomplishments for the past year, the way some folks do in January – one arbitrary day seems as good as any other, and the anniversary of my birth is more meaningful to me than some day in the middle of winter. Over the past year, I've had quite a few successes – getting stories accepted to both Blood and Devotion and Sails and Sorcery rank high on my list. The past year has also seen my return to writing Film Reviews, which can be found in Dark Wisdom magazine. Nothing swells the ego like being paid for your opinion.

I've had a few failures, as well, and a pretty pile of polite rejection slips to show for them. I am pleased to see that I have more personalized rejections than form-letters this year. I'm going to take that as a sign of growth.

In the non-writing world, I completed my first sweater, from a pattern I created for myself. Another feather I can place in my cap, and another candle on the cake. I've set a few lofty goals for myself for next year, which I'll end up scrabbling through the year to maintain, but I think they are quite achievable. Not going to mention them though – first, I don't want to jinx myself, and second if I keep mum and mysterious, I can come back next year and pat myself on the back for having achieved them. And you won't be the wiser.

Ultimately, I think that's what matters with each solar rotation; time passes, and we have to move forward. We have to change, or we stagnate and die. I'm not the person I was a year ago - I've grown and changed, been shaped by the things I consider both successes and failures. Each of those can be a more meaningful candle on my cake than the simple celebration of having survived another 526,000 minutes.

So that's another year, another short circle around the sun completed. No sense in slowing down before I charge into the new one. I have no way of knowing how many I've got left, no one does, so there's no reason not enjoy the time I've got. I've got places to see, and stories to write, and a world to explore. Best wishes to each of you, faithful readers, and my personal hope for a year of success.

— J.C.Hay