I vowed not to let a year go by between posts, and then after that year passed I made another vow not to let two years go by, but time flies, even when you are NOT having fun. And I wasn't these last 2 years. I've been trying to get back here for over a year now, but.... life got in the way, as they say. In particular, my previous (note the word PREVIOUS) job got in the way of my life. It began to take over my life starting in mid-2006, when my happy little local department of a national law firm was consolidated into one large national department and I suddenly went from working for 40 attorneys to over 900 attorneys. It's a long, sad story that I don't want to tell here, but the bottom line is that after the most stressful year of my life, I left that job, after 14 years, in May, and am now working at another much smaller (and local!) law firm in a similar capacity. Even 3 months later I am, to my amazement, still not completely free of the effects the immense stress I was dealing with for the last 2 years took on my body and my soul.
To say that this Apprentice was unable to find wonder in anyth
ing is an understatement. Only in the last few weeks have I finally FINALLY begun to wake up and notice, once again, the things in life that used to bring me such joy and fill me with wonder.
One of the first things to excite me was the arrival, for a brief three days, of this beautiful white pelican on the little pond near my house. The beautiful bird had never visited this pond before and he hasn't been seen since. He arrived at the pond and spent 3 days slowly circling the edges, gobbling up every fish available, and as quickly as he'd appeared, he was gone. 
But oh he was spectacular floating around the pond for those 3 days. Even the geese looked tiny in comparison.
I work hard at not carrying or holding onto regrets in my life, and so I am going to move forward from here on out with this blog. I may go back and fill in some things, and I may not. But I have broken the ice with this first post, and it was trying to explain where I've been the last 2 years that was holding me back. So onward and upward. Today is the first day of the rest of my life as an older and wiser Apprentice of Wonder.
Welcome back, Paula! I am glad to see you here again!
Cheers!
Posted by: Sonia Mascaro | September 24, 2008 at 08:17 AM
Paula, welcome back, to wonder and wild places and gentler employment. You have certainly been missed, and it is good to find this post today.
Posted by: kerrdelune (Cate) | September 18, 2008 at 07:14 PM
Welcome back AofW!!!!! Gorgeous photos and interesting writing. Glad to have you back.
Posted by: Pattie Tierney | September 03, 2008 at 11:10 PM
So glad you've reconnected...
Posted by: lisa | September 02, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Terrific to read your words here once again, Paula. The pelican visited to wish you well as you restarted your blog and so do I.
Gina
Posted by: Gina | September 01, 2008 at 10:21 AM
You're back, Paula, and I am so, so glad. I loved your coming back story and hearing about the convention. You are my beloved promise keeper.
Posted by: Fran aka Redondowriter | August 31, 2008 at 11:51 PM
Hey Hey Paula! So glad to see you back and to hear that you're leaving that old life story behind and are fully embarking into the new one. Looking forward to more posts. Sail on!
Posted by: Ellen | August 29, 2008 at 01:57 PM
Welcome back, Paula! Good to see you here again.
Hugs,
KayR
Posted by: Kay | August 28, 2008 at 05:09 PM
Yaaaaaay! So COOL to see you back, Paula! I only looked in at your Blog just a few days ago, always hoping - and now here you are! So looking forward to seeing through your eyes of wonder again...
Posted by: Roz Cawley | August 28, 2008 at 04:25 PM
Paula, so glad you are back. I love your pictures and your writing, too. Wish I were motivated to do something, too.
Mary
Posted by: Mary Hackney | August 28, 2008 at 12:14 PM
I'm in the same boat. Way too long between posts. I hope you're able to keep it up and that it continues to inspire you. You've inspired me.
love,
ellie
Posted by: ellie | August 28, 2008 at 09:52 AM
Atta Girl!!! Now I must follow your example and get back to my blog. I haven't posted since April and it's time. It is so nice to hear your "voice" on the page again and to see some of the spectacular photos only you can "see."
Posted by: Deb T | August 28, 2008 at 09:40 AM
Paula,
So very glad to see you have "recovered" enough from the events of the past two years to return to your blog. I hope that it is only onwards and upwards from here and that you will find much to wonder at all around you.
Hugs,
B
Posted by: Boyd | August 28, 2008 at 08:19 AM