Rosemount Writing & Editing Services

I've never actually chosen a word of the year before. I have set goals, and I've implemented new habits. I've tweaked exercise regimes, morning routines, and self-care schedules. I didn't think it was possible to pick just one word to sum up a year that hadn't yet unfolded. Let's place that aside for a moment. Over the past couple of years, I've taken great care to reach out to others. Whether that be friends I lost touch with or friends I hadn't lost touch with or like-minde...d people working in my industry. When I presented at the National Editors Canada conference in 2019, I met so many amazing people. I benefited from learning more about what they do, but I also benefited socially, just talking about editing and doing the kind of work that I do. It's rare I get to do that. When I got home from that conference, one of the first things I did was reach out to everyone I met via Linkedin and Twitter. I now belong to an active network of Canadian editors. I am learning each one's specialties, but also I'm getting to know them as individuals. As people. Within my personal life, I took measures this year to slow things down. I'm coming off of several years of constant change, and all that hussle and constant stress was wearing me down. I was missing things that were happening right in front of me. I found myself looking forward to the future way more than the present. "When the kids are such and such ages..." "When I have more time..." "When things calm down..." When...when...when... Enough. I'm done with waiting to participate in my own life. Choosing a word was not a conscious choice for me. It popped up in my mind one day during my morning meditation. It was so unfamiliar an idea to me that I sat with it for a few days. I mulled. I pondered. I noodled. I chatted it over with a friend who regularly chooses words for the year. And then I decided to lean in and embrace it. Connect. That's how you'll find me in 2021. Reaching out. Being there. Engaging. I plan to connect more with people, both in my personal and in my professional life. Since saying the word out loud, I've already had some amazing conversations with fellow editors and writers across Atlantic Canada. And I'm starting to come out of my (self-imposed) bubble to reconnect with friends (in a COVID-acceptable way, of course). I belong to more than just myself. There's a whole world out there. And I'm excited to connect with it. Do you choose words for the year? If you feel comfortable sharing, I'd love to hear what your 2021 word is. Attachments area

Cultivating a love for reading as a family is something that's near and dear to my heart. I was blessed to grow up in a house of readers. My academic father was always reading newspapers or scientific articles, and he usually also found time to dive into a good fiction novel for bedtime reading. My mother enjoyed mysteries or reading about stories of fellow nurses (especially in outport Newfoundland or with the Victorian Order of Nurses, of which she was a member). Both of my... parents read to me as a child and encouraged me to explore my own preferred genre. They never questioned my choices or tried to influence what I read. They took an active interest, yes, and I remember many Saturday mornings spent with one of them at a bookstore, with me trying to decide which book I would spend my $5/week allowance on (totally possible back in the 1980s). One of the first chapter books my dad read to me was The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. He'd tuck me in and then read one chapter each night. Later, we would read Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys together. I so enjoyed that time togethernot just for the story that was told, but for 1:1 time with my dad. I remember, too, spending slow Sunday afternoons engrossed in a book, while my mom either knit beside me or also enjoyed some quiet reading time. I learned that you can be together while readingeach person engrossed in their own story, but still taking part in an activity together. Every Christmas Eve, my parents would gift me a book. I later came to realize it was their way of ensuring there would be at least 2 hours of calm and quiet on the most excitable day of the year, ha ha ha (those of you who know me now might be surprised to learn I was quite the chatty child). So, books played a huge role in my childhood. My parents frequently took me to the library and bookstores, both second-hand and new. They let me browse for as long as I wanted. I was never told to "get my nose out of that book," and by encouraging this love, my parents really did shape me into the person I am today. Now, many moons later, I make family reading time a big part of my little family's schedule. I still read out loud to my youngest, and while my oldest now reads books meant for young adults and doesn't need me to read to her, she absolutely loves chatting about all of the stories she immerses herself in. What memories of reading do you have? Are there any childhood book habits that stayed with you as an adult? #FamilyLiteracyDay

So excited for this book of poetry to be released into the world!