“Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?”
I measure in lessons, in losses, in failures, in wins, and of course, in words. Each of these are compiled in spreadsheets (as I force the abstract into quantifiable cells) and many bits shared right here, under the public eye. Hmm, the public forum. For those of you following along, you may recall the first post of 2019 began:
Oh. My. God. This effing January.
So, there’s that.
I didn’t “triumph” over 2019, like my public facing plan. And for 2020, I’m still working on the strategies, the markers, and “the word.” Before we get into that, let’s take a peek of some of the most well received moments in the blog this year.
2019
DENVER, COLORADO – NOVEMBER 02: Amanda Booth and her son Micah on the red carpet at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show at Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel on November 02, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Tom Cooper/Getty Images for Global Down Syndrome Foundation)
The top new post of the year actually came in November, “Come So Far, and Yet” reflections after this year’s Global event, including highlights, pictures, and notes from the lovely Amanda Booth. I’m glad it got some traction, because it is one of the more important notes of the year. If you read only one 2019 post, this is the one to read.
Next up was “The Opposite of Retreat, Retreat” touching on my experience this year with the Rockin’ Moms. It fell nicely in with the prompt from my blogger friends, “What are you fighting for?” Ah, yes.
Check this One Though
Photo Provided by Megan Catalibe Photography
The blog that didn’t get the traffic it deserved, “Stories and Advice from Country Stars,” if you missed it, go now. It’s packed with photos and a story that will make you smile. Even if you don’t love country music. (Like some people in the Sikora household 🙂 )
Old Posts, Still True
This year I followed through on a plan to re-share “top” previously written posts, too. I will probably “re-share” the “Down Syndrome and Self-talk” several times as it seems to find someone new who needs to hear it every time. This year, the “Down Syndrome and Creativity” also received some good traction and also encouraged conversation on the Facebook page which included pictures of new friends, and I love that!
The Google War
A note that, with persistence, we’re adding a little blip to the Google radar is our little corner of the web is getting small recognition notes here and there. This one came in November, another content curation site including us in their top Ds blogs list. “34 Best Down Syndrome Blogs – Complete List of Top Down Syndrome Blogs 2019” So that’s nice. In good company, for sure.
29…
Each year I get a little mushy around Marcus’ birthday, this year with “29 and Still…” was no exception. Which, brings us back to our opener,
“How do you measure a year in the life?
How about love?”
Idina Menzel released a Christmas CD this year, and it won’t shock you to know, Marcus and I have it. She included “Seasons of Love” on the disk. It hit me in the, yeah, this year…
And it’s also gorgeous. Check it out:
There’s no measuring a year, really, even with excel.
I hope your sums all add up to love for this year and the next.
Madra
I enjoy this type of post, an end of year refectionizing.*
I’ll go a step further and say, ‘Thanks for the opportunity to read this post.’
It serves to remind me that, although the present is always confined to the here and now, as people we are not.
(Speaking for myself, of course. A worthy goal, not yet attained, to live and act in the here and now).
Your words, listing facts and dates, conveying love and engagement with life.
Your re-counting of the year passed is an opportunity to learn (and re-learn) how we are all altered by the events of our lives in ways that we are not necessarily aware of at the time.
Nice
*not a ‘real’ word
Thanks so much for this comment, because I always hesitate on the recap share. So you are extra lovely to show appreciation of it. 🙂 Next up, Happy New Year!