Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

It’s a scientific fact that time accelerates as people age. And over the past fifteen months, my life sped by so fast that two of the pleasures I enjoy most – thoughtful writing and heartfelt piano playing — literally fell by the wayside.

I wrote copious emails and tried to fit in piano practice each day; but with the various doctors’ appointments and therapies for both Earl and me, my heart wasn’t in it. So for my birthday, I decided these two activities deserved more attention.

But instead of assigning an hour to “practice” each activity every day, I decided to start with writing one sentence and playing one song. A modest goal, but achievable. Besides, the seer in me predicted that if I accomplished this, more words and more musical notes would follow.

Because the hardest part is to sit down and begin again.