Used to be, I could turn out an adequate column in under an hour, on deadline, with little preparation—or prior inspiration. I’d stare at the computer screen while eating my usual 3 p.m. Chipotle lunch at my desk, willing an idea to materialize from thin air.

Hello, it’s me.

I haven’t written in awhile. Two months and 10-odd days, to be precise. But who’s counting? Not me, surely—not until I glance at the calendar and realize, wow, it’s been a bit since I’ve taken the time to thread my meandering thoughts into words.

I suppose not having a weekly deadline to meet will do that to you.

Today marks my six-month anniversary at Morey Creative Studios—a tiny milestone compared to the 13 years, three months and 29 days celebrated at the ol’ South Bay, but significant nonetheless.

It’s funny, the way particular dates seem to repeatedly resonate through the years. Scrolling through my “Memories” on Facebook, I came across another marker of sorts from just four short years ago, heralding the publication of my 499th column. The title, fittingly enough, was “Shifting the Stones,” and it began with a quote from Confucius:

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

Another year over, and a new one just begun . . . and what have you done? So far, not a whole lot.

I read an article this morning which suggested, rather than compile a list of resolutions that will most likely be rendered meaningless by month’s end, a far better approach is to reflect on the previous year’s accomplishments before setting any future longterm goals.