The start of the new year is more important to me than the end of the old one.

(Of course, I’ve been to raucous New Year’s Eve celebrations although not this year. I recall when smoking was allowed in bars, everyone in the joint swore they were going to give up the habit for the new year. Most chain-smoked. I was one of the few non-smokers in a bar so thick with smoke, it looked like a low-lying fog filled the place. Of course, no one stopped.)

So what did I do Jan. 1, 2014? I was up early writing. Then, we went to the hot springs at Ojo Caliente. On the ride over, I saw three birds of prey. One bird, tall and regal, sat on a gray fence post on the edge of West Rim Road. Another was in flight and the third, perched high on a utility pole. They were likely red-tail hawks.

I finished one book, David Eggers’ Zeitoun, and started another, Blowback, a spy thriller written by Valerie Plame and Sarah Lovett. I am interviewing Valerie at an event next month in Taos.

We took a walk. We had a tasty but simple meal, a little wine.

I thought about improvements I could make in my life, such as eating a plant-based diet and taking more walks.

And in rare instances of self-indulgence I used Christmas money for a massage the next day and a facial the day after that.

Last year wasn’t a terrible one, just one that chugged along with a few pleasant jumps including a new baby in the family. Without any solid basis, I feel optimism for 2014. At least I’m off to a good start.