After taking a year off from blogging, I returned to the A to Z Blogging Challenge with my creative spark renewed. I spent March prepping all of my posts so that I could focus the majority of my time during April on visiting and engaging with other bloggers which is one of my favorite things about this blogging challenge.
It was both strange and exhilarating to be blogging again after a period of inactivity. It was also serendipitous. As news headlines grew more dire and states began to issue shelter in place orders, having blogs to read and comment on throughout the month was an enjoyable distraction.
Click on any picture to jump to a slide show with hyperlinks to my A to Z Challenge Post associated with that image.
One of my goals each year with the challenge is to connect with other bloggers. In a year where “social distancing” has become our mantra, I never felt isolated or alone. I was able to connect, albeit digitally, to my fellow humans in creative, fun and inspiring ways.
I virtually left my home in Maine each day and got to spend it learning about other cultures, discovering family histories and being exposed to unique perspectives. I read engaging works of fiction and came across new books, movies and music. I saw beautiful art from photographers and textile artists.
I read about what was making others nervous or afraid. And, I learned what people were doing to stay happy and hopeful. I got great tips on blogging and ideas to jump start my own creativity. I learned about new foods and essential oils.
Finally, even in these anxiety filled times, I got to laugh out loud as I read the many humorous stories and anecdotes shared by my fellow bloggers. I really love to laugh.
My own A to Z theme this year was Bliss. With that in mind, I am going to be sure that I take a moment to savor completing the challenge again this year. Savoring is one way to bring more happiness into our lives. It allows us to stay in the moment and fully appreciate the experience.
May you all savor your A to Z experience this year.
Thank you to all my fellow bloggers for the support and encouragement you provided during the A to Z Blogging Challenge this past month. It really makes a difference when others engage with your posts.
It connects you to something bigger. And connection is a good thing right now. Stay safe everyone!
Weekends in Maine 
A lovely conclusion to your series — and I love the way you have visually presented your A to Z posts! I enjoyed learning more about Maine, having only experienced the state vicariously. And I really appreciated your regular visits to/comments on my blog during this year’s challenge. I hope to continue regular, weekly blogging after a bit of a break — and hope we can continue to connect via our blogs as this unnerving year unfolds. Stay safe and well!
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I enjoyed your posts a lot too. I really enjoy the connection that the blogging challenge brings. Good luck with your transition to a weekly blogging schedule. I look forward to reading your posts.
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With everything going on this past month, I had kind of a tough time keeping up with other bloggers. I seem to struggle with this every year. Prepping posts in advance is probably the right way to do it.
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It really does help to have them prepped ahead of time that way during the challenge there’s more time to spend visiting other blogs although I know some bloggers who prefer to write them during April instead. There’s no right way to approach it. Everyone has their own system.
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True, there is no right or wrong way. I shouldn’t have phrased it like that. I should have said it’s probably the right way for me to do it.
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Ahead of time works for me too!
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Well done, and welcome back!!
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Thanks! It was fun to jump back into the challenge again.
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I thoroughly enjoyed your blissful series! I often found myself nodding in agreement with the subject you shared.
Congratulations on completing another A – Z 🙂
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Thank you for all your wonderful comments and support during the challenge. I enjoyed your posts as well. It was fun to learn all about Switzerland!
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You did a fantastic job with your bliss theme. You weaved beautiful imagery and brought to light simple yet strong impressions of gratitude.Brava!
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Thank you! I appreciate your visits and comments during the challenge. It was fun to participate in the A to Z again this year.
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Great reflection. I enjoyed reading your blissful posts!
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Thank you for visiting during the challenge. It was a lot of fun.
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Really enjoyed then thanks.
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Thank you for visiting my blog.
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I enjoyed a lot reading your bliss of the day! Nice to have you back to blogging 😉
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Thank you. It was a lot of fun to participate in the challenge again this year.
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Your posts were wonderful. I enjoyed following along! I don’t always leave a comment because I have a bad habit of wanting to “think” before I respond but then forget to come back and share my thoughts! I need to improve on that so I can connect more often with others.
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Thank you for visiting during the A to Z!
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Didn’t visit as often as I hoped. It was a busy month!
Congrats on finishing!
OMG, your lilac header photo. I miss lilacs…
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The lilac picture is from last spring. Still waiting on the blooms for this year. I miss them too!
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Straggler here but I’m getting caught up slowly. Congrats on finishing! Stay Safe!!
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Thanks for visiting!
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Somehow, I missed your comment over on the Trucks A-Z wrap up.
Seeing it all in one place really does help the feeling of accomplishment, at least for this visual blogger.
I love how you did this and want to learn how! Teach me, master!
(I used to make clickable visuals when I used Dreamweaver on my website, but those days long gone).
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I love clickable visuals too. For this one, I edited the pictures in Photoshop to add the letter overlay and then put them together an a WordPress gallery view as circle thumbnails. I added the html link in the captions.
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