for it is better to forget
than to remember me and cry.”
- Dr. Seuss
THE THRILL IS GONE
At Least For The A To Z Challenge
1.) THE LOSS OF THE LINKY SET-UP
In past years, I used to browse down the linky list
and pick a name with which I was unfamiliar and visit a potential new friend.
All the Social Media hoop-jumping proved burdensome what with my blood courier schedule.
2.) CLINGING TO HOW IT WAS BUT IS NO LONGER
All the new cyber-friends I made in 2016's Challenge opted to stay out this year.
Many of my old cyber-friends left, too.
I wanted things to be as warm as I remembered with past Challenges.
But clinging to memory does not make things better only cheapens the remembered good times.
It self-blinds and prevents you from experiencing the world in a real way.
3.) LIFE IS A HARSH MISTRESS
Like Hart Johnson, I simply did not have the available time to visit my fellow challengers.
It was not fair to them. And so I received fewer visits.
4.) IT HAS STOPPED BEING FUN
All the changes, all the absent friends (both old and new) took the zing out of the Challenge for me this year.
Perhaps I am supposed to be somewhere else next year.
Even more importantly, perhaps someone else is needed in my spot next year.
"When I am alone,
I sit and dream
And when I dream,
And when I dream,
the words are missing."
- Sarah Brightman
DID YOU PARTICIPATE THIS YEAR?
IF SO, DID YOU ENJOY IT
AS MUCH AS LAST YEAR?
WILL YOU PARTICIPATE NEXT YEAR?
Hi Roland - funny how many times recently BB King has hit my soundwaves ... I agree with you - it's lost it's zing ... I had more time - but feel the dissatisfaction ... glad I did join in this year ... missed, missed, the linky list .. cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteB B King was one of a kind. :-) Maybe things will change for A TO Z next year.
DeleteI didn't participate this year due to life's curve balls. I'm sorry the zing wasn't there for you this year. Maybe something new is on the horizon? Nevertheless, I love to visit your blog and listen to what you have to say. Your comments and musings are always interesting and often make me laugh or thing beyond my ability. You rock, Roland!
ReplyDeleteYou made my morning, Nicola. The ghost of Nikola Tesla is fascinated with your name by the way! :-)
DeleteHi Roland, I did not participate this year. I'm sorry the connections weren't there for you like you'd hoped. It's true. Every year is different. Time does not permit me to currently partake, but maybe I will down the road. Have a lovely rest of your day. :)
ReplyDeleteMay our anthology's sales boost all of our spirits!
DeleteIt's been a few years since I participated. I just don't have that kind of time anymore.
ReplyDeleteBlogging has changed in the 12 years I've been doing it. We need to keep evolving with it.
Me, the old dinosaur, change? Naw. Just joking. Yes, we must adapt to persevere these days. :-)
DeleteIt looked incredibly exhausting to me and I knew I wouldn't follow through with the connections so . . . pass.
ReplyDeleteNancy, good to see you here. Yes, it was exhausting. At least I could edit and do each post as best I could. Now, NaNo just seems to be exhausting without any good prose coming out of it. Oops. Now, I will get hammered! :-)
DeleteThis was definitely one of those years I didn't have time to play along, but I still missed it, and I too noticed that fewer people were participating than normal. (From the usual circles.) *shrugs* Change is the name of the game, eh?
ReplyDeleteSigh. The only constant is change it seems! Good of you to comment! :-)
DeleteLast year lost it luster for me. That and I have to focus on the IWSG first. Can't do both.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people did sit out this year.
The loss of the linky list did it for me I think. I have always tried to make my posts for A TO Z different: from going from Z to A, to having the ghost of Freud doing free association with me as the ghost of Mark Twain jabbed from the sidelines, to detailing interesting things that happened in history on each date.
DeleteLike B B King sings: the thrill is gone. :-(
Change is never easy, but not fun. I'm sorry about this most of all. :-/
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
I'll still post but probably not do the A TO Z again. Good to see you here. -)
DeleteI didn't participate this year. As fun as the Challenge is, I didn't think my subscribers would appreciate getting 30 emails from me in a month. That would be a bit much.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry it was a bit of a letdown for you. I miss you!
Because of my increased workload, I do not get out in the blogverse much any more. :-( I will try to be better in visiting you -- promise. :-)
DeleteSometimes you just have to move on. I sat this one out, and I did miss the exchanges, but I so valued the time and, of course, letting my right arm heal so I could actually use it again.
ReplyDeleteThere may not have been as many exchanges for you this time -- but then you are more popular than me! :-) I pray your right arm heals completely!!
DeleteI didn't participate this year, although I did in 2014 and 2016. I wrote a lengthy post on my blog in March, explaining why. But at least I was able to keep up with all of those that I follow regularly who did take part in it.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I so appreciated your and Hilary's daily visits -- sometimes the only ones I got! Thanks!
DeleteRoland, when Arlee began the A-Z it was to get people to post every day. But who has time for that any more? Most of are have trouble finding the time to post every two weeks or month or at all? I used to participate in the earliest days, but was disappointed in the flimsy, shallow posts where people just put up something for the heck of it. And return comments have always been problematic. If you can't return comments, you shouldn't be in it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that A to Z didn't work for you this year. I didn't participate this year as I just didn't have the time or internet connectivity to do it justice. I did enjoy it in the past, maybe I'll give it another go again next year.
ReplyDeleteWhen I remembered that the April A-Z was happening, I felt sad and missed it. But I had too much going on to do it.
ReplyDeleteI hope life has eased up on you, Teresa. :-)
Delete