Tracy of Inkytwig fame tagged me in the “7 Links” web initiative. It’s a great little thing that is floating around the blog-o-sphere to get people to look back through their own archives and find something cool about themselves and their writing. I dig it, and most of my great blog friends have been in on it already. In fact, it is getting pretty hard to find any blogs that haven’t done it yet. Really, I was almost dreading getting tagged by it because every blog I read has already done it or at least been tagged. Fortunately, the rules state “Up to 5 People” so, tagging none is okay. Really, it’s in the rules, check them out at the 7 Links Web site!
The timing on it was perfect, since Tracy tagged me earlier this week, and today is the anniversary of my first blog post.
My Most Beautiful Post
I don’t know if what I write is ever beautiful. Poignant, maybe, insightful at times, but I’m not a beautiful writer. I don’t try to be, so when I look back through the 274 posts that have been put up on the blog over the course of the last year, I am not looking for artistic words or flowing speech. I’m looking for the simple elegance of a bared soul, the one that screams out, “this is me.”
People Still Make Me Nervous – This was the first post that was 100% me. It was the first time I had written something that really came from deep inside my soul instead of just what was floating on the surface. I had started blogging to have a soap box to stand on when I ranted. This post was the one that first showed me what I really needed was a place to figure out who I was.
My Most Popular Post
Purely based on analytics, my 30 Before 30 List was my most popular post. I still regularly get hits from Google thanks to it. I’m actually pretty impressed by that, because I don’t really work hard for SEO. It does help that when I see that I got hits thanks to that keyword it makes me remember that I need to spend time working on my list so that I don’t hit 30 without finishing it. Makes me remember how important continuing to work towards a goal really is.
My Most Controversial Post
I’m something of an internet troll, so causing controversy is a thing I like to do. I also have really strong opinions on some really hot button topics, so I can sometimes cause a few problems for people. There was one thought that really triggered a shit storm for a friend of mine who happened to post the link on Facebook. I actually got nervous that there was going to be some kind of crazy street war caused by it. Paladino Outcry and the Republican Philosophy. I got angry, and I let some things flow from me that I probably shouldn’t have, and some feelings definitely got hurt by it.
My Most Helpful Post
I try to be helpful. I try to do my best to make the world a better place, but that isn’t always easy when you don’t know exactly what your place in it really is. I struggle a lot with my own life, and sometimes I write about that. It is my honest hope that those posts can help someone else get through their own hard times. I don’t know if it does or not, but I do know what post has helped me the most. No Emo – Get out of My Head. It’s nice to remind myself how to to keep from going to far off the deep end.
A Post that Surprised Me By Its Success
Honestly, I’m always surprised when I get a lot of hits on one post, but the one that really took off on me in a way that I never saw coming was Ronald McDonald Didn’t Make Your Kids Fat. I was just blowing some steam about the stupid anti Ronald controversy and it took off. I still get a couple of hits a day on that one. It’s INSANE.
A Post that Didn’t Get the Attention it Deserved
I think probably one of the better written posts I did, Children Guard the Meaning of Life was actually a post I spent a lot of time writing, and ended up getting almost no attention. It made me sad, because I had come to a realization, that really, probably, most of my readers had already come to.
The Post I am Most Proud Of
If you haven’t read it yet, please read Bushido Blogs. It isn’t the best thing I’ve written, but it is probably the most important thing I’ve written in the last year. While you’re at it, hop back over to Tracy’s blog and read her response.
Here’s to Year 2
I want to thank you guys for reading. The first year of my blog might be coming to an end, but I’m ready to get started on the second year. Writing this blog has really made a huge difference in my life. It has helped me through some pretty dark times, taught me what I really want in life, and made me realize what it is I am meant to do.
Thank you.