Friday, May 3, 2013

Time to Pause: Reflections of the A-Z


     Another April blogging from A to Z has come and gone and I am happy to say that I was successful in completing the challenge.  I am not one of those bloggers that is capable of writing a slew of posts ahead of time and scheduling them.  I am the queen of procrastination.  I envy those bloggers that can do that.  I am more a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl sometimes posting in the last hours before midnight.   Still I completed and managed to find some amazing new blogs to follow in the bargain.  It is all good.



       Of all the challenges I have attempted the A to Z month long challenge is by far the most fun.  It is a challenge that when you publish that Z post at the end of April you feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment that parallels climbing Everest.  You feel like doing high fives with people and jumping up and down.  I went into this challenge with a different purpose this year.  I hoped it would jump start my desire to write.  I ended the challenge with mixed feelings about blogging.  On one hand I am itching to write something else and the need to post and on the other I feel the need to just pause…then go…then pause!


       Would I blog from A to Z again?  I don’t even have to think about it.  Hell yes I would!!!  It is fun and realizing there are so many bloggers out there doing the same thing is mind blogging and somehow comforting.  We are all in it together and I like that!  With the arrival of May I find myself needing to pause from the frenetic pace of writing every single day and instead writing when the spirit moves me.  If it is almost every day so be it.  If it is a few times a week, that is OK too.  Congratulations to all the bloggers everywhere that participated in the challenge and felt that sense of pride and satisfaction when they hit publish on that Z post.  I am proud to be among your ranks!

30 comments:

  1. I have mixed feelings about this year's A-Z....my reflections post is scheduled for Sunday. I just didn't have as good a time this year.

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    1. JoJo, I struggled a bit but I paced myself as far as commenting went and still had an enjoyable time. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments. I look forward to reading your reflections post.

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  2. I had trouble this year too. I think because there was no daily link up? Or did I miss it? Wasn't there just the one list? Still, I enjoyed reading others as I could and think it's a great way to generate material.

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    1. Sandra, it is a great way to write about a slew of different things and find bloggers you would never probably come across otherwise. I feel very blessed to have found new friends and their gems of blogs.Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments!

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  3. LOVE that pause sign. :D Nice reflections post--and I intend to participate again next year, too. Many of the posts I have read so far indicated that expectations might not have been met, but all agreed it was still good. As for a daily link up post, I was really glad that was not part of the challenge as that takes so much time, and requires an extra step.

    I look forward to reading more from you--whenever you feel like it!
    tm

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    1. Ornery 39 Wife, I am so pleased you enjoyed my reflections post. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments!

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  4. Congrats on finishing, glad you enjoyed it. Noticed comments above wouldn't the daily link be a pain? I'm a may challenge now that has a daily linky. Seems you're duplicating yourself and if you're not home to do it early in the day...you're sorta screwed? Didn't do a-z last year, so wondered? Making my way through the reflections linky and thus ended up here. Doing today's linky, I'm hitting some folks I didn't see before.
    Oozing Out My EArs

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    1. Sandy, Thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind comments. Congratulations on completing the challenge.

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  5. Hopefully it has given you the inspiration to write more, as and when the mood and inspiration strikes you. Well done on finishing, it feels great, doesn't it?

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    1. Sally, it does feel great to finish. I am inspired to do so many things. I really don't think I can leave writing completely alone. It is like an itch that needs scratching. LOL Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments!

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  6. Congrats to you! That was quite an accomplishment!

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    1. Katie, thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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  7. Glad to hear your hearty endorsement. We love the A to Z'ers like you!

    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Arlee, thank you so much for stopping by. I looked forward to the A-Z challenge all year after having such a great time last year. I was honored to participate and look forward to doing so again next you. Thank you so much for your kind comments!

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  8. Good to hear you will be on board next year!

    Cheers from an AtoZ cohort ~

    thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com

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    1. Tami, thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind comments!

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  9. I loved it and enjoyed reading your posts! Many of the comments here are posted by bloggers I never visited during A-Z. I tried to visit lots of blogs and comment, but it was impossible to reach them all. I know I missed some good ones! I'm slowing down with the blogging this month and trying to concentrate on my book!

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    1. Tayla, I thoroughly enjoyed yours as well. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your dedication to visiting and commenting during the challenge.

      Kathy
      http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

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  10. Congrats to you. I enjoyed getting to know you a bit better. Good luck with your writing.

    Kidsmathteacher.

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    1. Lucy, I enjoyed all your clever ways to incorporate math. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments!

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  11. I enjoyed the challenge and your posts. Couldn't visit all the blogs but I used the FB threads to visit. Thanks so much for visiting and commenting on my posts. I will be visiting your blog for sure and look forward to your posts. Love the humour you bring to your writes.

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    1. Suzy, I am so pleased you enjoy reading what I write. I enjoy visiting you too! I was unable to visit all of the blogs too. There were just too many but am going to try to visit more on the list now that the A-Z is over. I am sure there are some real gems out there just waiting to be discovered! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments!

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  12. Congrats on completing the challenge! It's a lot of fun, isn't it? :)

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    1. Dana, it really was!! Thank you for dropping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  13. Well done, Kathy. Glad you finished the challenge (as in, lived to tell about it).

    Blessings and Bear hugs!
    Bears Noting
    Life in the Urban Forest (poetry)

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    1. Rob-bear, it is such a wonderful feeling to be able to live to tell the tale!! Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments! ♥

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  14. It was fun, and I'm glad to say, this was my third year to participate. I could never do it without writing my posts in advance. By Sunday, I usually had every one written for the upcoming week. My other trick was to keep my posts short, although I typically do that anyway. I have never written a reflection post. Maybe next year.

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

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    1. Joyce, I have never been able to do anything in advance. I am not sure how that would work out for me. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants, let go and let G0d. Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments ! ♥

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  15. Well done, Kathy! I didn't sign up this year but definitely will, next time. I would be one of those writing all the posts ahead of time though, and like Joyce, keeping them fairly short as well.
    Kudos to everyone who participated!

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    1. Debbie, I was a little apprehensive signing up but I made it through and found my sea legs and really started to enjoy it mid way through this year. It was fun for me both years I did it. This year it ignited the passion for writing again for me although I have promised myself to pause and smell the roses as I do it from here on out. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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