I first discovered the A to Z Challenge back in 2012, just as the challenge was starting. I was trying to be a more regular blogger at the time, so jumped right in . . . but was not able to keep up for the whole month, but I was hooked, and have participated in some way or another ever since. Some years I have done better than others, but I feel that this year has perhaps been the most enjoyable and therapeutic challenge for me.
Writing has always been an enjoyable outlet for me and I love blogging. The past few years have been challenging ones. I lost my dear mother during the April 2015 challenge, and my dear father this past February. Last year I blogged about my childhood memories and this year I have been sharing memories of my courtship with my Dear Husband. Both sets of posts have been part of a longtime goal of writing a history of my life. It may not be particularly interesting to others, but it has been important to me, and an outlet for thoughts and memories, and comforting to me in many ways.
I do miss the linky lists of bloggers from years past, but can see how time-consuming and how much work the monitoring of bloggers was in the past, so understand the change in the organization and format of the challenge, and I was still able to visit new blogs and meet new bloggers. I think the traffic to my blogs was less this year than in other years, and I certainly received fewer comments, but that doesn't trouble me too much. I chose to not join up on social media platforms to advertise my posts. I really don't use social media other than Facebook and Blogger, and have only posted links to my blog once or twice ever on Facebook. My audiences for the two media are very different. I use facebook for connecting with extended family, friends, and neighbors, but don't advertise my blog posts there. Most followers of my blog are immediate family members and other bloggers that I have met through various blogging challenges. I like having my different audiences, and am not greatly concerned about gathering large numbers of followers right now.
To sum it up, the 2017 A to Z Challenge has been an enjoyable (not quite relaxing) trip down memory lane for me. I did what I set out to do, and met a few new friends along the way. Thank you to all who have followed along and supported me in the challenge this year. Hopefully you have found a bit of pleasure along with me.
So long for now, but I will return. Just perhaps not every day for a while!
