Well...this is it! I have come to my final blog post after a year long goal of writing/blogging something every day. Obviously there were make up posts, but go back and look -- there is a post for every day for the last year!
You know, when I first started this blog, I was doing this to model writing. A writer is someone who writes, right? I told my rl txt (Real Text) kids to make daily writing a habit. I included prompts at the end of my posts to encourage their writing. Little did I know the journey I was about to experience.
I laughed, I cried, and I even fell asleep mid-post (no lie). I shared the love I have for my daughter, I rediscovered my inner poet who had been dormant since I was 11 years old, and I documented my year in the classroom. I didn't know when I first started this blog that I would be venting/reflecting about a school shooting. I didn't expect a post to take on the form of a poem which would win a poetry contest. And I didn't realize that when you are willing to put your neck out there that people would line up to take a swing at you when your personal views didn't match theirs. This year was an education for sure.
I have learned so much this year. It was through my own writing that I was able to reflect on many different things. Most importantly, I started to see myself as a writer again...not just a teacher of writing. I truly walked the walk this year. It wasn't always pretty, but then again, life isn't always pretty.
This afternoon I met with a tight group of supportive women in my life: Jenny, Tracey, Autumn, my mom and my daughter. Together we celebrated (by eating, laughing, and talking) the accomplishment of my year of blogging. I love every single one of these ladies. Trisha (in Surprise, AZ), I know you would have been there if you could. Thank you all for your support and love. I KNOW how lucky I am to have each of you in my life. Thank you for being present today. I want Audrey to grow up to have solid relationships with women. I want her to surround herself with loving, supportive, women who are strong and don't need to put others down to lift themselves up. I want Audrey to have people like YOU in her life. I'm glad she was with us at lunch...watching and taking in the dynamics of that group. Thanks again. XO.
So, what does the next chapter hold?
Well, truthfully, I don't know. I do know that committing to blogging DAILY wasn't necessarily one of the brightest ideas I have ever had (it was really difficult at times!). I would, however, like to continue to write. Maybe something less frequent and more polished. Because I wrote daily, my entries were pretty raw and incredibly unpolished. Writing is a process. I was trying to get down the habit of writing (I never intended to Pulitzer-level write.). Maybe I will blog about books I am reading or movies I have seen. Who knows? I will have to put some thought into this and go from there. Stay tuned as I will keep this link and add to it at some point.
I would like to end this goal with a request...dare to take on new goals and challenges. If you never push yourself to new heights how will you ever know what you are capable of? And fear not what others think and say about your journey as your journey is your own. People may weigh in, but at the end of the day, you need to be good with who YOU are.
Stay true to yourself...stay true to your voice.
Love Always,
April McNary
You know, when I first started this blog, I was doing this to model writing. A writer is someone who writes, right? I told my rl txt (Real Text) kids to make daily writing a habit. I included prompts at the end of my posts to encourage their writing. Little did I know the journey I was about to experience.
I laughed, I cried, and I even fell asleep mid-post (no lie). I shared the love I have for my daughter, I rediscovered my inner poet who had been dormant since I was 11 years old, and I documented my year in the classroom. I didn't know when I first started this blog that I would be venting/reflecting about a school shooting. I didn't expect a post to take on the form of a poem which would win a poetry contest. And I didn't realize that when you are willing to put your neck out there that people would line up to take a swing at you when your personal views didn't match theirs. This year was an education for sure.
I have learned so much this year. It was through my own writing that I was able to reflect on many different things. Most importantly, I started to see myself as a writer again...not just a teacher of writing. I truly walked the walk this year. It wasn't always pretty, but then again, life isn't always pretty.
This afternoon I met with a tight group of supportive women in my life: Jenny, Tracey, Autumn, my mom and my daughter. Together we celebrated (by eating, laughing, and talking) the accomplishment of my year of blogging. I love every single one of these ladies. Trisha (in Surprise, AZ), I know you would have been there if you could. Thank you all for your support and love. I KNOW how lucky I am to have each of you in my life. Thank you for being present today. I want Audrey to grow up to have solid relationships with women. I want her to surround herself with loving, supportive, women who are strong and don't need to put others down to lift themselves up. I want Audrey to have people like YOU in her life. I'm glad she was with us at lunch...watching and taking in the dynamics of that group. Thanks again. XO.
So, what does the next chapter hold?
Well, truthfully, I don't know. I do know that committing to blogging DAILY wasn't necessarily one of the brightest ideas I have ever had (it was really difficult at times!). I would, however, like to continue to write. Maybe something less frequent and more polished. Because I wrote daily, my entries were pretty raw and incredibly unpolished. Writing is a process. I was trying to get down the habit of writing (I never intended to Pulitzer-level write.). Maybe I will blog about books I am reading or movies I have seen. Who knows? I will have to put some thought into this and go from there. Stay tuned as I will keep this link and add to it at some point.
I would like to end this goal with a request...dare to take on new goals and challenges. If you never push yourself to new heights how will you ever know what you are capable of? And fear not what others think and say about your journey as your journey is your own. People may weigh in, but at the end of the day, you need to be good with who YOU are.
Stay true to yourself...stay true to your voice.
Love Always,
April McNary