Hmmm my top ten posts of 2011. Interesting to ponder. Looking back on this year I can say it's been the best of times and the worst of times. Between the drop off in my business, the man being unemployed for most of the year, my guilty soap opera pleasure of over 30 years being canceled, 2011 kind of sucked. Then again, I had some pretty amazing things happen too. I won six contests ranging from a free pizza to a trip to LA. I was interviewed for the New York Post. I was able to attend a farewell party for said guilty soap pleasure. I was asked to be a guest blogger several times. I reconnected with some great old friends who I hope I never lose touch with again. And I finally got to a point in my life where I can embrace things about myself that I never did before. An interesting year, most definitely. As I look back, I can't help but think where I was in my life when these particular blogs were written:
January, 2011 : To Richard, With Love. When I wrote this I was feeling grateful. Grateful to have a friend I could tell anything, and I do mean anything to, and not feel judged. I'm still grateful. I still love him. And I know he will be a best friend for life.
February, 2011: Turning a Corner. Definitely one of my most controversial posts. But the fact of it is, I love this post. This post was a turning point for me, a point where I really didn't concern myself with how anyone else would perceive what I had to say, I just wanted to say it. It was a culmination in a several year long quest to rid myself of guilt and shame over stupid shit that being raised a certain way saddles you with. It took me about 42 years I'd say, to recognize it. And only three years to get rid of it. Not bad.
April, 2011: Mixed Emotions. This post was my true feelings, how I felt when All My Children was canceled. Feelings, emotions and thoughts I dare not speak out loud or on my AMC blog because I don't really know how many fans could really see where I was coming from. Now, three months after the final airing, I miss it a little, but I have moved on and am now seeking my next adventure!
May, 2011: Embracing the Third D - the series. I cannot do a year retrospective without including the Embracing the Third D series! This is still my most hit upon blogs and still some of my absolute favorites. It was embarrassing, silly and just plain fun to write. All the stars aligned and I became a storyteller.
June, 2011: Sold. A walk down memory lane in my Grandma's house, that, almost 3 years after she has passed, had finally sold. This post was filled with beautiful memories of one of the most important people that has ever been in my life.
June, 2011: You Are Beautiful: A post very near and dear to my heart. I still cry when I read it again. It's about my beautiful niece and all the trouble she has had while in school making and keeping friends and became a story of triumph. She is thriving in high school. She is in honors courses, on the swim team and has been cast in the chorus for the school musical.
July, 2011: A Year. The horror of cancer never goes away. Ever. But I am privileged to know one of the bravest, strongest and most amazing woman going through that horror. She inspires me every day. This was my tribute to her.
August, 2011: Answer the Phone Neil. A story about a reconnect 23 years in the making. A silly falling out kept us apart for 23 years. But through the magic of FB we are now back together and I couldn't be happier. There are just some people in your life you can never forget or never get over. TM is one of them.
October, 2011: Guest Blogger, Reflections from a Redhead. When Janine asked me to do a piece for her Beauty of Difference series, I didn't think I had anything to contribute. But in the end, I did. And this is that piece. I'm extremely proud of it and honored to have contributed.
November, 2011: Finding the Thanks. Ahhh yes. How can I not include a in laws story in my top 10 of the year? I had to. I just had to! lol
Thanks for a great blogging year! xoxo
Showing posts with label looking back. Show all posts
Showing posts with label looking back. Show all posts
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Monday, August 15, 2011
My 7 Links - Be Afraid!
Thank you to Janine at Reflections From a Redhead, for nominating me for the #My7Links project. Like her, I guess I was living under a rock because I never heard of this but I'm here and ready to give it a go. Why the hell not. My blog is one year old today and instead of having a party, I will look back at all the dirt I've spilled, stories I've told, insanity I've experienced, and all the stuff I've blabbed about in my goofy life.
Most Beautiful Post: Interesting. I don't often write of beauty. I write what moves me, what compels me. I may start out with a clear idea in mind of something I want to write about but then when I sit down to write it, it ends up going in a completely different direction. When that kept happening I decided that it's better for me to just sit down and see where my fingers go on the keyboard. But this one, Sold, holds a lot of importance to me. It's full of memories of growing up and being in my Grandmother's house. I love this post and I think it conveys the beauty and the love I had for one of the most important women in my life.
Most Popular Post of All Time: This was easy, and in truth I think that this post fits into almost every category I'll be covering today. You Are Beautiful is about my niece and the troubles she's experienced throughout her days in school from grades 1-8. Fittingly, today is her first day of high school and I hope it's a new beginning for her. This post struck a cord with many and got me the most hits out of any post I had ever written. It made me cry when I wrote it and makes me cry every time I read it.
Most Controversial Post: This was also an easy one to pick. It was chosen for a very good reason since it could very easily offend a lot of people. So fair warning if you do click the link for Turning a Corner. It's about words, certain words that we give power to offend and overcoming that. It will probably still offend but I guess it wouldn't be considered controversial if it didn't offend at least someone. At certain times I've thought about removing it, then I read it again and the truth is, I really like it. So it stays. A friend of mine told me once that it's my blog and I should say whatever I want. And she's right. And well, I sure as hell have said whatever I want!
Most Helpful Post: Now we're getting into a spot where I'm not really sure what post of mine could be considered helpful. But then it hit me like a ton of bricks, Screw Guilt should be considered helpful. It helped me look past the circumstances going on in my life and towards something else. It helped me to realize that I can't always be everything to everyone and that sometimes you just have to do the things that make you happy. In the big scheme when I'm old and in adult diapers, mind wandering aimlessly from butterflies to pudding cups, the thought, "dammit, I should have paid more than the minimum monthly requirement on that bill back in 2011" probably won't cross my mind. So fucking screw guilt! Live.
A Post Whose Success Surprises Me: I think the part that surprises me most is how many women, like myself, don't know their bra size. And hell, after a trilogy of posts on the subject, starting with Embracing the Third D, I still don't know if mine is accurate! But I persevered through it and lived to tell Embracing the Third D Part II and Embracing the Third D Epilogue. I guess that's technically three posts, which will make this my 9 links, but once a rebel always a rebel.
A Post I Feel Didn't Get the Attention it Deserves: All of them! Eh, OK. Not really. But Realizing My Worth is one that I guess for me embodies a lot of emotion for me and might have actually been the first time I really opened up about myself and my life on the blog. It was written only a week or so after I started the blog but it showed me what I can achieve with it, how I can express myself and how this blog could really be the outlet that I've been looking for, for so long.
The Post I'm Most Proud Of: This was an exercise in #PBAU, the bloggers group I am privileged to be a part of just a few weeks ago. Seven and Seven was a very difficult blog to write but it is one that I am the most proud of. Proud of it in many ways. The fact that I was able to write it at all. This was the first time I ever wrote it down. I'm proud that I was able to share it. And I'm very proud that I never let it rule me, confine me, or define me.
Damn, that was tough, but interesting and kind of fun too. Thanks again for nominating me Janine. I feel truly honored. And now it's my turn to bestow the honor on a few other unsuspecting fools =)
I chose Aaron at Aaron Outward
Eric at I've Become My Parents
And Joy at Catharsis
Good luck!
Most Beautiful Post: Interesting. I don't often write of beauty. I write what moves me, what compels me. I may start out with a clear idea in mind of something I want to write about but then when I sit down to write it, it ends up going in a completely different direction. When that kept happening I decided that it's better for me to just sit down and see where my fingers go on the keyboard. But this one, Sold, holds a lot of importance to me. It's full of memories of growing up and being in my Grandmother's house. I love this post and I think it conveys the beauty and the love I had for one of the most important women in my life.
Most Popular Post of All Time: This was easy, and in truth I think that this post fits into almost every category I'll be covering today. You Are Beautiful is about my niece and the troubles she's experienced throughout her days in school from grades 1-8. Fittingly, today is her first day of high school and I hope it's a new beginning for her. This post struck a cord with many and got me the most hits out of any post I had ever written. It made me cry when I wrote it and makes me cry every time I read it.
Most Controversial Post: This was also an easy one to pick. It was chosen for a very good reason since it could very easily offend a lot of people. So fair warning if you do click the link for Turning a Corner. It's about words, certain words that we give power to offend and overcoming that. It will probably still offend but I guess it wouldn't be considered controversial if it didn't offend at least someone. At certain times I've thought about removing it, then I read it again and the truth is, I really like it. So it stays. A friend of mine told me once that it's my blog and I should say whatever I want. And she's right. And well, I sure as hell have said whatever I want!
Most Helpful Post: Now we're getting into a spot where I'm not really sure what post of mine could be considered helpful. But then it hit me like a ton of bricks, Screw Guilt should be considered helpful. It helped me look past the circumstances going on in my life and towards something else. It helped me to realize that I can't always be everything to everyone and that sometimes you just have to do the things that make you happy. In the big scheme when I'm old and in adult diapers, mind wandering aimlessly from butterflies to pudding cups, the thought, "dammit, I should have paid more than the minimum monthly requirement on that bill back in 2011" probably won't cross my mind. So fucking screw guilt! Live.
A Post Whose Success Surprises Me: I think the part that surprises me most is how many women, like myself, don't know their bra size. And hell, after a trilogy of posts on the subject, starting with Embracing the Third D, I still don't know if mine is accurate! But I persevered through it and lived to tell Embracing the Third D Part II and Embracing the Third D Epilogue. I guess that's technically three posts, which will make this my 9 links, but once a rebel always a rebel.
A Post I Feel Didn't Get the Attention it Deserves: All of them! Eh, OK. Not really. But Realizing My Worth is one that I guess for me embodies a lot of emotion for me and might have actually been the first time I really opened up about myself and my life on the blog. It was written only a week or so after I started the blog but it showed me what I can achieve with it, how I can express myself and how this blog could really be the outlet that I've been looking for, for so long.
The Post I'm Most Proud Of: This was an exercise in #PBAU, the bloggers group I am privileged to be a part of just a few weeks ago. Seven and Seven was a very difficult blog to write but it is one that I am the most proud of. Proud of it in many ways. The fact that I was able to write it at all. This was the first time I ever wrote it down. I'm proud that I was able to share it. And I'm very proud that I never let it rule me, confine me, or define me.
Damn, that was tough, but interesting and kind of fun too. Thanks again for nominating me Janine. I feel truly honored. And now it's my turn to bestow the honor on a few other unsuspecting fools =)
I chose Aaron at Aaron Outward
Eric at I've Become My Parents
And Joy at Catharsis
Good luck!
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