Relax-N-Rave: Reflections Post #AToZChallenge 2016

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Thursday, 12 May 2016

Reflections Post #AToZChallenge 2016

Imagine a clan of hermits inhabiting a cave, isolated from the the rest of humanity, on an island far away. A whole new world where strangers from across the globe come together to form a clan that is on its self-imposed month-long exile. All the inhabitants have a target to achieve during the said period - scribe relentlessly, churn out their thoughts full of creativity and words. Everyday they visit and read each others works, comment and share them on social media. They think of nothing else, do little else, eating, breathing and living in this amazing strange world, through the month of April!

Meanwhile in the real world, normal mortals continue with life, seemingly impervious to the tremendous buzz of the solitary clan. But the frequent bombardings on the social media are causing a stir, that is hard to miss or ignore! Many laugh it off as the transient madness that has caught the fancy of so many. Many recollect their own experiences at being part of the clan, some miss the thrill while others are glad they are not a part of the chaos! Yet others who missed the boat, are envious of the clan's activities and exuberance, vowing to join the clan in the forthcoming year.

My reflection for my first time A To Z Blogging adventure -
Nothing short of a marathon roller-coaster ride with the sweetest strangers for company!
Folks you never knew existed, find their way to read your stuff, while you are doing the same, exploring and expanding your horizons in blogosphere. You are not intimidated to interact with veteran bloggers and at the same time pleasantly surprised to see them visit your blog and leave behind encouraging comments. New blogs to discover everyday, old favorites to be revisited for fresh updates, ohhh....so much to do, you don't want to miss anything!
Lesser fortunate ones like myself had an arduous time writing and posting daily while blog-hopping, commenting and sharing simultaneously! I can't even imagine how I did it!
With the end of the challenge, a tremendous pressure has lifted off, so much so, even family and friends are relieved to see me restored to normalcy from the hyper-mode that I was on all through the challenge!

The A to Z Challenge was a double personal challenge for me - 1) venturing into uncharted waters 2) blogging on a daily basis while reading scores of blogs simultaneously!
My blog theme of Home And Interiors was pretty well-received and I am thankful for this opportunity to blog on a genre I had not yet attempted on my blog, despite it being my passion!

This amazing journey introduced me to scores of unbelievably talented bloggers who were incredibly warm, encouraging and supportive as well!
Being the lazy blogger that I am, I am not listing them here, but indeed I am thankful to all those who visited my blogs every single day without fail - the sole reason that kept me afloat during my most trying days!

Blogging platforms like Blogchatter, Blog-A-Rhythm, Blog Commenting Tribe besides the Blogging from A To Z Challenge offered the utmost support, motivation and advice all through the month. Thank you all!

What I have gained from this challenge is:
Confidence in my own blogging skills.
Unstinting gratitude towards fellow bloggers and the new friends I have made for life.
Faith in the strong support system of all the mentioned blogging platforms.
Realization of the importance of pre-preparedness!

I hope to be back for the next season, armed with all my 26 posts to relish the spirit and excitement of this wonderful challenge!