My third year of doing the A-Z Challenge
is in the record books and I made it, I survived! In years past I had no earthly clue what I
was going to post from one day to the next.
Each day seemed like an accomplishment.
I racked my brains for something to write about and wrote whatever came
into my head. I visited as many folks on
the A-Z sign up list as I could, returned comments to those who visited me, and
all in all had one hell of a great time.
This year was different. This year I joined an A-Z support group on
Face Book. They were so organized that
they had a big ole theme reveal before the kickoff of the challenge. They organized us all into teams and made a
spreadsheet which I followed like a Bible throughout the entire month. I planned a month chock full of haiku, 55
fiction, and zentangle art. I had posts
ready to go long before the day so all I had to do was post, share, and comment
my happy ass off. That is exactly what
I did. I also made sure to answer all of
my comments and return the love. I
admit that I am still working on answering and returning comments on the last
few letters. On the downside answering
comments and visiting blogs constantly became a chore and sucked the fun right
out for me. I had it so planned that
very little was left creatively to be done.
On the upside I do believe I created some of my best work during this
challenge and my little piece of real estate here in the blogosphere saw more
traffic, leaving more comments than I would have ever dreamed possible.
Another great thing came out of this
year’s A-Z challenge. The artist that had
just recently begun to make reappearance in my life came back full
throttle. I had an epiphany of sorts
realizing that I love that artist side of myself. When I allow it to emerge, I discovered my
soul was reborn. My heart soared. I discovered a happiness and sense of
wellbeing that my life has sadly lacked.
It is a part of me I should have never given up. On the upside sticking to art, poetry, and 55
fictions for an entire month worked well for me. I enjoyed creating all of it immensely. Given the response my work received during
the month of April, I got the message loud and clear that I am doing exactly
what I should be.
When the A-Z was over, I walked away
from my blog. My husband came home. I enjoyed life and a much needed rest. I celebrated another birthday. I got away, enjoyed the beach and had
fun. I went into the A-Z Challenge this year
filled with anxiety and dread…and survived.
I feel like I climbed Everest. I
cemented friendships, feeling closer to my fellow A-Z participants and blogging
friends than I ever have. I even managed to make some new friends along
the way. Would I do it again? If you would have asked me after I posted Z,
my answer would have been a resounding “hell no! I will never subject myself to
this frenzied chaos again!” But then,
after 6 days to let the dust settle…I realize I am nuttier than a fruitcake…and
hell yes, I know I would do it again. I
will probably be one of the first to sign up when April rolls around. This year I learned that I thrive in chaos. Being organized and having it planned makes
me bat shit crazy and stresses me out.
I need the adrenalin rush being clueless gives me. On the other hand, it was nice being posted
first thing in the morning with nothing else left to do but read and comment
but then a steady diet of reading and commenting is exhausting and soul sucking. For me, finding a balance and striking a happy medium is essential for survival in future challenges. When the dust clears, lessons were learned and I had the time of my life.
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!
Blogging A-Z was insane, fun, and when I was done I felt like I had just climbed Mount Everest. I enjoyed the frenzy of posting every day and racking my brain for something, anything to write about. I loved discovering blogs that I never knew existed, finding gems that I vow to visit again, and reading how everyone else interpreted each letter.
Best of all I loved finding new friends across cyberspace. I discovered writing each and every day is good for what ails me. I loved the camaraderie I felt with all the other participants as we tackled each letter, egged each other on with daily encouragement, and then celebrated what felt like a major accomplishment when the Z post was published.
Would I do it again? That would be a resounding “Hell Yes!!” It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Thank you to all the great folks that organized this challenge and to all of you that stopped by here during the challenge and read my entries. Thank you for reading, your encouragement, and your kind comments throughout!
It is really easy to form an ideal image of yourself in your mind if you avoid your reflection at all costs. In my mind, I still look young and vibrant, and I look good much as the kitten does as it gazes into the mirror. Like the kitten I find the reality of my appearance disturbing which is the main reason I avoid mirrors at all costs. I am no beauty queen by any stretch of the imagination. Still, my reflection won't break anyone's camera either. People don’t normally vomit when they look at me or run screaming in the other direction, so hells bells, I can’t look that bad. I often smile at strangers when out and about, and they smile back because smiles are contagious. Smiling makes everyone wonder what I have been up to, and that is exactly what I want them to think!
As much as I hate my reflection, I forced myself to gaze deeply into the mirror and really look at what I saw. What I realized as I stared myself down is that the parents I lost so long ago, were there staring back at me. I can see my mother’s features dominating the reflection-same hazel eyes, and face shape. I can see her stubbornness and courage. If I look really closely I can even see a little of my Dad. I experienced an epiphany of sorts. I realized they haven‘t completely left me. They are still here because they live in me. Their genetics are firmly woven together within me making me the person I am. They live in my appearance, personality, and in almost every facet…I can see the best parts of them in me. I see their zest for life. When I look past what I consider my damning faults, I see a person full of pi$$ and vinegar with a twinkle in her eye having a tad bit more fun than she should be. I see a woman that can handle anything life throws at her because I have little choice to do anything else. The realization is comforting. Not only do they live on vividly in my memories, but through me in my actions and laughter.
Like Simba of the Disney classic “The Lion King” I looked in my reflection and found those who I thought had abandoned me and were lost forever. I found the best part of me. I found the giggly, sparkly person out shining the fat lady with the bad hair. I found me and realized I am not half bad. I can’t help but grin and celebrate my discovery until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.
My third year of doing the A-Z Challenge
is in the record books and I made it, I survived! In years past I had no earthly clue what I
was going to post from one day to the next.
Each day seemed like an accomplishment.
I racked my brains for something to write about and wrote whatever came
into my head. I visited as many folks on
the A-Z sign up list as I could, returned comments to those who visited me, and
all in all had one hell of a great time.
Another great thing came out of this
year’s A-Z challenge. The artist that had
just recently begun to make reappearance in my life came back full
throttle. I had an epiphany of sorts
realizing that I love that artist side of myself. When I allow it to emerge, I discovered my
soul was reborn. My heart soared. I discovered a happiness and sense of
wellbeing that my life has sadly lacked.
It is a part of me I should have never given up. On the upside sticking to art, poetry, and 55
fictions for an entire month worked well for me. I enjoyed creating all of it immensely. Given the response my work received during
the month of April, I got the message loud and clear that I am doing exactly
what I should be.
