Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah and well wishes. Even as I type the words, I just can’t believe the winter holidays are upon us.

Yet here we are, somehow, less than a month from the big ball dropping in Times Square. Have you accomplished every goal you set out to achieve this year? If not, good news: There’s a new year just around the corner.

For yours truly, 2017 has been one of mixed blessings. On the plus side, it was a year of reflection, discovery and reinvention. On the flip side, the profound craziness around the world, both at home and abroad, troubled me greatly. On the whole, when I look back on the past 11- plus months, I feel invigorated by my good fortune and the possibilities on the not-so-distant horizon. Then again, maybe you just caught me on a good day.

In the magazine you hold in your hands, our last of 2017, we feature a number of people, events and topics worth your time. Such as: the inimitable Brooke Shields; Philly’s indie rock/ blues/hip hop troubadour G. Love; and winter fashions to warm you up this winter.

We also feature two people who are making their bones in the Wild, Wild West of the digital landscape. Danielle Bainbridge got her undergraduate degree from UPenn and is working toward her Ph.D. at Yale. In the meantime, she’s starring in an illuminating web series for PBS Digital Studios. Darren Keith, on the other hand, is a local musician in the midst of a metamorphosis. He’s working to bring his locally produced web series to the masses. Although his series remains in development, he’s earned the backing of some heavy hitters. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find their respective stories fascinating.

With 2018 in such easy reach, I’m tempted to look ahead, to wonder what the fates have in store for me. Like Bainbridge and Keith, I intend to set my sights on my own BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) and not fret over the things beyond my control.

Bill Donahue
Editor

Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life Magazine, December, 2017. 

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