Celebrating a Glorious New Year: Michelle Kwan's "This Time Around" by Linda Eder

Today was such a beautiful day! After feeling rested, despite hours upon hours of grading yesterday, I was so happy to escape from the house and go out into the world today! I ran errands, but the fun kind that involved browsing stores, went to the gym, and then got my nails done (toenail color: Mrs. Robinson! Gotta love those names). To top it all off, despite frigid conditions, the sun was warm, and bright as it glinted off the snow. When I got home, I spent a nice evening sitting by a crackling fireplace, grading (surprise, surprise). Besides the grading, what more could a person ask for on a Saturday? It's nice to feel so rested, happy, and after the gym--healthy!

To celebrate this glorious start to 2014, I'm posting Michelle Kwan's exhibition from the 2001 season. Skating to "This Time Around" by the incomparable Linda Eder, Michelle skates with extra sparkle, dazzle, and command. As one You Tube viewer posted :
"What a combo. Michelle Kwan and Linda Eder. Two superstars with grace and beauty!! INCREDIBLE!"

This song is fitting for the new year because it emphasizes making changes, turning things around, and capitalizing on a fresh start.

Here are the lyrics:


This time around I'll take the moment
This time around I'll make it last
I've had my share of wasted moments
But this time around I'm holding fast
This time around I will be stronger
Stronger than I've been before
I'll find the sky and soar
This time around

This time around I will be daring
I'm going where I've never been
This time around luck will come knocking
And when he does I'll let him in
This time around-No second places
I'm showing aces-I'll win
I'm gonna have it all
This time around Love, I'm gonna find you
Happiness, I'm right behind you
I've had my share of crying
But there's no denying I'm on my way

This time around I'll taste the glory
And I'm not going down without a fight
This is my life, my own story
And this time around I'll get it right
This time around I'm gonna find it
Look out world, watch me shine, shine
I'm gonna grab that big brass ring
And I'm gonna make it mine
This time around, I'm gonna make it mine


This year I've resolved to make the changes that I struggled to make in 2013. This year I've resolved to, as my fortune cookie fortune read tonight, "answer just what your heart prompts you." This year I've resolved to find my "superpower" and be the best I can be, in my own way, which is the definition of success (as suggested by the CEO of Twitter in a speech I heard on the radio today). Basically, "this time around" I'm going to take initiative, responsibility, and ultimately, work toward my own potential, and find the happiness to succeed.

Thank you, Linda Eder, and Michelle, for instilling the "this time around" message with such command, grace, and glory!