A-Z Reflections and a big THANK YOU

Good morning! Today, Alex has asked us to post a reflection on April's A-Z Challenge. What can I say? The challenge is perhaps the most intense and exciting thing I've participated in since I started blogging over 4 years ago. Sadly, I wasn't able to post every day (and I'm STILL trying to catch up on all the emails, comments, and NEW FOLLOWERS I have received! Don't give up on me yet, guys! What did I learn? A lot. I learned that if I want to write -and I mean REALLY want to write- I really have to go after it. It's not going to just show up at my desk, scoot my school work aside and say, "Yo! Get with it!" I kind of wish it would. Make things a heck of a lot easier if it did. Or would it? Discipline is an ugly word in the world today. People like instant coffee with their drive-thru breakfast. When you're going after something as elusive seeming as publication, spending your spare time doing what others consider work (and it IS HARD WORK) sometimes you can feel alone. And more than a little crazy! Or, if you're like me, you find your time monopolized by things that, though you chose to do them, takes away from you the precious writing time you crave. I realize that no one can give me more time. I simply have to MAKE the time for the things that are most important to me. AND I don't need to beat myself up with I feel I fall short. Others have different schedules. Others have more, I don't know, gumption to post every day and comment and visit and -well, I swear THOSE people have a time turner and I wish they'd let me borrow it weekly! That all said, I had an amazing time with the challenge, met some amazing new blog friends and I look forward to meeting others that I've yet to visit! I'm sure I'll be thinking about this challenge for a long time. It has really helped me take a good, hard look at my schedule and my priorities. Thank you Alex, Lee,Matthew, and all the other amazing co-hosts out there!! You guys ROCK!!! Seriously.