Reflections: A-Z

A-to-Z Reflection [2016]

Thanks firstly to Arlee Bird and his wonderful team – without you all I would have been a non-starter.

As always it was a wild ride … exhausting but worth it! I was away for a week from mid- April, with no internet or wi-fi, so I HAD to preschedule some posts before leaving. On my return from the bush, I did my best to catch up on comments and needless to say I had to do the remaining posts on the fly.

I always so appreciated receiving comments on my posts, whether long or short. It’s gratifying that people came by and read. It means and matters much to me, thank you. In the earlier part of the A-Z when I did some random jumping around, I noted that many did not have their April 2016 A-Z badge up and what they’d posted, if they had, bore no relevance. But other random jumping around yielded amazing posts. I could not get to all I wanted to or read as thoroughly as I may have liked but I did what I could. Towards the end of the A-Z my computer went on a total go slow, almost to a stop and no-go which had me tearing my hair out, but which my son rectified when he got back from being away (also out of contact attending AfricaBurn in the middle of nowhere) by adding extra data .. thanks Mike.

I know of a few who were not able to access my posts to leave a comment – they wrote to me personally to say so – they received ‘Error 404’. I do not know why this happened.

Thank you Rosie, Shilpa, Elaine, Pat, Gulara to mention but a few, for retweeting my posts! MUCH appreciated!

I’ve gained a few more WordPress and twitter ‘followers’ to my blog for which I’m grateful.

The warmth, comradeship and the quality of the posts of the A-Zers made it all so worthwhile, thank you all. A delight to read! All ofΒ quality, whether on people, dogs, music, movies, spirituality, places visited accompanied by photographs or not, stories, books – the list is long –Β 

There is no current or past A-Z category under which I can categorise my posts at the start. There is no category for ‘psychological’ … perhaps there could be such a label in the future? This could include eg myth, legend – ?

Again, my heartfelt thanks – to Arlee and his team and to all of you who participated, and to you who came by my posts.

We’re all facing challenges on many levels, individually and in the outer world, as this year continues on its shaky path … may the Force be with us, always. And thank you all, very much, again.Β 

45 Comments on A-Z Reflections

  1. Congratulations on completing the challenge. What an achievement. It’s lovely to read of the positive things you have taken away from the experience.

  2. I had a similar experience! I was traveling for about 10 days and had to schedule some posts and write the last few posts on the very same day. A hectic and exciting month, meeting deadlines, reading and commenting on fellow friends blogs, discovering new blogs and soaking in so much info and insights.
    You did great, Susan, despite the challenges. Appreciate all your support!! β™₯

    • I remember you were travelling Shilpa! Thanks for coming by now, and for your support throughout the A-Z and your series was great thank you for them too! πŸ™‚

  3. Thanks for your series. You took on a weighty subject and as I have slightly different beliefs I found the going difficult at times yet… you did it so well it remained a worthwhile experience because I picked up inspiration as I went along with your A to Z.
    I think I joined at C is for Cheetah… that was fun! I’ll keep returning… I’m finding a renewed interest in what “ordinary” Saffers are getting up to at home! Remember… a leopard (and friend Jake) can’t change his spots!! 😈

    • Thanks AJ, I enjoyed yours too! (If this is a duplicate comment my apologies, computer up to tricks) … Thanks for correcting me re: cheetah and leopard. Jacob will never change his spots, ever ..

  4. It was a wonderful Challenge, Susanβ€”and you did so, so well, especially taking into account your travels. Your series, as always, was thought-provoking and gorgeous in its genuineness and insightfulness. Kudos, my friend, to a job well done!

    • So kind Guilie thank you – a lovely compliment πŸ™‚ And huge kudos to you on your amazing series! I leaned so much as other readers did …

  5. I sure enjoyed randomly reading your Challenge blogs, Susan! You always offer new information and ideas. Thanks so much for your dedication during trials.

  6. You did a fantastic job in April, Susan, particularly considering you were on vacation for a week. Very much enjoyed reading and reflecting upon your words, as always, with the added benefit of seeing your posts daily.
    Yes, a lot going on, but we keep going. May the Force be with you!

  7. Thanks so much for your thank yous and I give my own heartfelt thanks to you for participating in yet another Challenge and for your Reflections.

    I understand those computer and travel travails. I’ve had frustrations with slow computers in the past and it seems like every year something has come up to interfere with my April activities. That’s another reason we call this a Challenge!

    You did a great job!

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    Tossing It Out

    • Thanks so much Arlee! You’re right it’s a CHALLENGE! I enjoyed your theme on Manhattan .. it brought back some memories the one time we visited some years ago,

  8. Nice to read your post susan , I have yet to make a post on the A-Z reflections, been running around handling a lot of stuff, at home repair and renovation works on and at office deadlines to meet and managing my daughters holiday assignment, and our reunion meetings of my previous organisation that I worked and my class mates coming over to the city and yes managed to stay fit and healthy despite the hot weather,and last two days its cooler here as it rained heavily a few evenings and one night total down pour. glad to connect and thanks for being an inspiration for this month.. hope to write mine soon. love and hugs πŸ™‚

    • Thanks Genevive for coming by in spite of the busyness of it all! Glad to hear you’ve had rain.

      Your posts were inspirational Genevive with their gentle reflections on life. Always a pleasure to read thank you. And thank you so much for your support throughout the A-Z and many congratulations on completing it!

  9. I may have missed a few posts, but yours are always interesting! I’m so impressed how you kept up, even with so much going on.

    Yes, we all need the Force and good spirits this year as we attempt to navigate this shaky path.

    • Thanks Merril for coming by, I much appreciate it and for your ongoing support throughout the A-Z! I too have missed out on posts, am slowly catching up – πŸ™‚

  10. Imagine a circle drawn, having 20 dots evenly spaced on the circumference, and each dot connected to every other dot!

    In my mind, this represents we are in “Susan’s Garden of Eden,” making me think of OUR GARDEN OF EDEN.

    Imagine thoughts of wonderful flowers, feelings of love, delightful information we received and gave, and awareness of each other’s inner and outer concerns, flowing inside these connecting lines at a rapid pace, back and forth. This is the meaning for me of your A to Z 2016. Much gratitude to you, Susan, for all that you are!

    • What a lovely response Joseph thank you! Funnily enough, your image reminds me of one I had in a recent meditation which I thought I’d like to draw, maybe paint the image that arose in me, and your saying what you have, I’ve now done a rough sketch πŸ™‚

      Thank you for your support Joseph and I hope this finds you and family well.

  11. Congratulations, Susan. Your posts were rich and enlightening. I loved reading your reflections. They resonated a lot. Thank you!

    • Thank you Gulara and congratulations to you too for your theme of love-letters, so hauntingly written – truly enjoyed by me. And, I’m about to rectify my post and include you in those who so kindly twittered my posts, you were such a great supporter not only in that, thank you again.

  12. Thank you Ally Bean for coming by! Well done for completing your first A-Z Blog Challenge, like a pro I have to say! Have just popped round to your reflections post and had many many smiles reading it. As also on other earlier posts. Thank you! Glad to have made your acquaintance Ally Bean ..

  13. I’m pleased that I found you along the way while doing my first A To Z Challenge. I enjoyed your analysis of change– and having read what you wrote, I realize how much I’ve learned and changed in the process of doing this challenge. Thanks for your insights.

  14. Hi Susan – you always give us ideas to ponder on – or to immediately react to …, but also cogitate on.

    The A-Z opens doors to so many things and we learn from others we’d never normally meet in the course of life – it’s only through this blog-hopping world that we find out new things – and stretch ourselves to another level.

    Cheers and I intend to join in again next year … Hilary

    • Hi Hilary, and thank you for coming by! It seemed a little strange not having you on the A-Z this year round but a pleasure delayed is always heightened if it comes around albeit later πŸ™‚ So, there is something to look forward to. And thank you so much for visiting my posts and for your thoughtful comments.

      I hope moving plans are coming along as best they can. And that the EU to be or not 2B is not causing you too much anxiety …

      all best, Susan

  15. Yes, your posts as always are thought-provoking. I’m absolutely in the midst of “change’ and the “aging process.” It can be mind-blowing when not expected.

    I LOVED your comment, “May the Force be with you!” Boy, you can sure say that again! It benefited all of us in our journeys! Thanks for the memories!! πŸ˜‰

    • Hi Gwynn, yup, you’re the person with the most going on right now that I know – and somehow you’re managing it. I think you’re Super Woman in disguise. May the Force be with you dear Gwynn, and thank you for your A-Z support. I so enjoyed yours hair raising though they were yet written in your inimitable style with humour always shining through..

  16. To the point, Susan, and, reflecting, I agree in my experience, too. The A-Zs have become a wonderful tradition, a wonderful intent and focus, and a lovely way to meet people, get to know about their lives and make friends.

    Your posts on “Change,” affect me subtly and so now when I encounter an unexpected and ostensibly unasked for situation, I pause and do a double-think: “Ah, change. Yes. I need to turn at this corner and not go straight ahead, for this turn leads to the positive outcome I didn’t know I was seeking.” πŸ™‚

    Thank you. Congratulations on getting through.

    • Thanks so much Samantha for your kind words and for your support throughout the challenge! Congratulations to you too for getting through and completing your wonderful series on the US and places you’ve visited and accompanying photographs – makes me think of doing a road trip east to west through the States on Route 66 .. can pick you up in Delaware, we’ll start from there?

      • A Route 66 road trip would be very cool, Susan.

        Believe it or not, I am actually old enough to have made that exact trip, from Delaware to California, before our Interstates were built, when my daughter, Kellie, was 4 1/2 mos. old. It was during the Vietnam War, and the Navy was stationing my husband in Long Beach, Calif. It seems like another lifetime now. Hard to believe, but I’ll never forget it.

        So, now, what fun it would be to relive that adventure and this time with you. Wow.

  17. I admire your dogged determination to persevere through this.

    There will always be obstacles and “shaky paths,” but they don’t seem to stop you. Brava!

    • Pat, thanks so much. I so appreciated your support throughout this challenge. It kept me going πŸ™‚ Here’s to next years’ challenge, and to all your ongoing pursuits.
      Shalom to you, Susan

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