A - Z 2021: Reflection Post

 

Another A - Z Challenge is in the books, and what a journey it was! 

I'll be honest, this time last year I did not believe we would still / again be in lockdown, but yet here we went again.

Looking at the bright side though, it gave some bloggers the opportunity to spend more time on their topics.

This year only 307 bloggers signed up for the challenge. This is an extremely low number. It used to be 1,500 people in 2016, and about double a few years earlier. I realized  after signing up for the theme reveal, I didn't even put myself on the master list. So in reality it was at least 308 people this year ;-)

As far as themes go, I picked phrases, sayings and quotes that include the appropriate keyword:

A = The Apple doesn't fall far from the Tree

B = Cross that Bridge when you come to it

C = Can't have your Cake and eat it, too

D = All Duck or no Dinner

E = Don’t put all your Eggs in one Basket

F = Don’t look to the Floor for Pennies, look to the Sky for Rainbows

G = All that glistens isn't Gold.

H = Home is where your Heart is

I = Strike while the Iron is hot

J = (Some score) from the East German Judge

K = Kill two Birds with one Stone

L = Life is what you make of it

M = Don't cry over spilled Milk

N = Networking is an enrichment program, not an entitlement program

O = The Odds are One in a Million

P = Don't adorn yourself with borrowed Plumes

Q = Quicker than Lager turns to Piss

R = Rome wasn't built in a day

S =  Swim with the Sharks

T = Travel broadens your Mind

U = Two things are infinite. The Universe and human Stupidity

V = You can catch more Flies with Honey than you can with Vinegar

W = The early Bird catches the Worm

X = You have to kiss many Xenopus to find a Prince

Y =  The Days are long, but the Years are short

Z = Zero in

It was my seventh time around, and In previous years it was challenging to visit a lot of other blogs while still writing my own stuff. This is why I gave my very best to pre-write the majority of my posts.

Some blogs I enjoyed visiting:

AJ Blythe - AJ and I share an odd interest in the dark sides of life. This season her posts were dedicated to poisons. Believe it or not, even too much water can kill people. Hyper Hydration, people. Be safe!

Weekends in Maine - Karen came up with a variety of crafty projects like "enchanted winter ice displays" or unique wine glasses to celebrate her daughter's 21st birthday.

Frédérique is also super crafty. In 2021 she put together creative ideas to upcycle old jeans, unused buttons, worn out sweaters or unruly zippers!

Molly's Canope - Molly was a teenager in upstate NY in the 1960s, and she describes her memories of summers at the lake and her passion for music in admirable vividness. Posts include autograph books. Show of hand if you owned one!

Janet's Smiles - Janet played tourist in her own city, which happens to be one of my favorites to visit: San Francisco, from Alamo Park to Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square, we got to see a lot of awesome locations.

Crackerberries - Barbie writes letters from the heart to her younger self. Very insightful and often with a healthy dose of self-irony. Almost at the end of the alphabet we even learn that she is going to be a Grandma!

Tasmanian Abroad - Pamela is probably one of my oldest A-Z buddies, and she likes to travel and explore just as much as I do. She takes us to spectacular places like Fairy Pools in the Scottish Highlands or Wineglass Bay in Tasmania. 

The Memory Tourist - As usual Lissa comes up with creative ways to entertain her readers. One day she'll ask us to answer questions, the next she'll come up with colourful excuses not to blog.

Chapters from my Life - Farida battled and survived breast cancer and gained a lot of wisdom and new qualities she is sharing with us.

Reflections - Linda obviously started this blog specifically for this A - Z Challenge and uses the daily letter to talk about things that are close to her heart (or sit right in front of her?)

Jayashree writes - Jayashree took keywords from Harry Potter and fortunately used them in a more general way, making it possible for me - the 1% of the world population  not being a Potter fan -  to follow.

There were a few more that I visited on a less regular basis. After all, besides my day job, there's only so many hours in a day.

While I think I'll be back next year, I will enjoy a break. Even though I still have a few posts lined up, such as my 1,000th post ever. Keep your eyes open!

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