Tonight the Jewish New Year starts at sundown. Serious Jews have begun to consider their sins over the past year in lead-up to Yom Kippur, the annual Day of Atonement.

In contrast, I am looking at the pile of papers I should have cleaned off my worktable so I could start the new year with a clean slate. The guilt. Oy veh!

For those of us less religiously inclined and slightly eating disordered, the big new-year question arises: Will I mend my eating ways after the Yom Kippur fast to continue past this single day of weight loss? My answer is NO. I will eat something fattening right after the fast so I don’t have to concern myself with breaking a perfect record. (Every Jewish holiday has a food aspect, even a fasting holiday. Oy veh!)

I haven’t blogged at Girl Born in 51 on ChicagoNow for quite awhile. I was working 25 hours a week at the local library as a computer aide and studying library stuff on the side in hopes of a better job in the future. Then I unexpectedly quit because of covid and the library mandating they would not require patrons to wear masks. Furthermore, staff has to devotedly serve these clients. Nope, that’s not for me.

So I haven’t renewed my membership in the American Library Association. I don’t expect to ever work in a library again.

I’m deciding what to do next. This kind of introspection is a constant thread in my life.

It is looking like I will write about and coach people of retirement age who want to start a freelance business that is right for them. People who want to do what they want to do in a way that works for them. No, we don’t have to “think big” because capitalism believes there is something wrong with us if we don’t.

Wayne and I now have three beautiful granddaughters. (We have six children, none of them jointly.) Would love to visit them in person but that’s on hold.

Wayne and I have started socializing with others outside our home more. During the summer, we have isolated to a very high level. Now as winter approaches, we are socializing with small numbers of people in the open air. Yes, our timing stinks.

During late March, I started phoning people I haven’t seen in years. Now that has fallen by the wayside. I don’t have much to say. I could talk about what I am watching on TV but I don’t even have the discipline to binge watch.

When I started this blog, I identified myself by age (born in 51), female, and Jewish. Now that I was eternally self-employed, I didn’t have to worry about hiding my demographics. Then I took a library job. Coming out as to my demo was not a good decision in retrospect.

Well, it’s out. Nothing to be done. So I am free to be me.

I am aware that the title of this post is, “Where are you? Where am I?” And I am also aware that I have blabbed on about me without really writing about you. I guess that’s my point. My contact with other human beings is limited.

In closing, have a happy new year. May we comfortably put off our end-of-year desk cleanup until December 31. We’ve got another three and one-half months.