As I began the A to Z Blog Challenge, I had three goals.
1. To reach out by reading five new blogs a day and leave comments.
2. To become a part of the team, not as a leader, but a blog supporter and thereby support the efforts of the leaders who gave so much of themselves before the challenge started.
3. To continue with my allegorical story, The Child and The Prophet, which began in 2013 and is a work in progress.
On Friday morning, May 1st, I had a big smile on my face. I had reached my goals; I was still pressing toward the mark.
I met writers with fiction and non-fictional works, and photographers with the talent to capture the nuances of scenes that make people think. All these blogs strengthened my endurance and perseverance muscles, and each blog challenged me to keep pressing toward the mark.
Stretching my writing ability, I:
Used new writing techniques and wrote my first soliloquy,
Learned the discipline to edit an article by throwing out what I liked and keeping what was needed,
Disciplined myself to stay under 300 words, constantly refining, by using new vocabulary, exploring the use of grammar and punctuation to develop my style,as I pressed toward the mark.
Stress is unavoidable. Reprioritizing is mandatory. I learned to minimize stress by reprioritizing, a necessary tool when pressing toward the mark.
So I leave the challenge with a good taste in my mouth. I wish each of you bloggers, writers, and photographers the very best. We have done well.
Now, keep pressing toward the mark.
Shalom,
Pat Garcia