During the A to Z Challenge I got in the routine of sitting down at the computer and working on a blog post every morning. I guess what they say about creating habits is true: it takes 3 weeks to create one. For me, however, it takes only 1 day to extinguish it. It’s the same thing with diet and exercise. I am a creature of habit. Until I’m not.

So nice to see our local sea lions again on Sunday.

I took two days off from blogging, and was glad of it. Still, a part of me began to feel a little urgent about getting back to the computer and writing something. Anything. Preferably about Galapagos because for now, I’m kind of tired of thinking about anxiety in all its many forms. My brain kind of hurts.

That blogging challenge, whereby I had to post something every day except Sunday for the entire month of April, was an interesting experience. I revisited some things about myself that I had sort of forgotten. For one thing, it’s really good that I am not in school right now. Everything but the blog went to hell during the month of April. The house did not get cleaned. I’m pretty sure I forgot to change the sheets on the bed. I showered maybe twice a week if Mike was lucky. We ate the same thing for dinner each day unless I came up for air and suddenly remembered to make something. Boy was Mike thrilled on those days!

We got to play with so many new toys on Sunday!

Now I remember that when I have a project that I’ve committed to out loud, it’s all I can think about or focus on until it’s over. Having that deadline each day created a fire under my butt that would not go away until the challenge was over. Each morning I would get up and sit in front of the computer fine tuning the post for that day. Sometimes that took several hours of my day, but I was fine with that. It’s the hardest I’ve ever worked writing something for no money. I’m going to remember that fact next year when the challenge comes around again and I have to decide whether to participate.

One thing that surprised me about the feedback from these posts is how many people actually read them. The most popular post? It was R is for Reality Checks and Relationships. That day saw a huge spike in readership with views driven from a variety of sources. We are not too focused on statistics on our blog since it’s not a business, but it is an interesting pattern. I got quite a bit of feedback on that post behind the scenes. It resonated with so many people, especially women.

It’s a treat to run into people we know out on the water. S/V Elsa, enjoying the premature summer.

Because of that feedback, I’m considering doing a regular feature on the blog on relationships, anxiety, and cruising. It’s in the formulation/incubation stage right now, but would be focused on answering questions that readers have about that topic. I’d keep all personal information confidential, just like I do in my work, so people could feel freer to ask their questions. We’ll see how that pans out. I’m kind of feeling my way into it for now, and I am conflicted about bringing my professional life into the blog more than I already do.

So it’s back to blogging about Galapagos and the progress we are making. Yes! There is progress! I just didn’t have time to blog about that during the month of April. We got a chance to leave the dock on Sunday and had a wonderful afternoon of sailing with absolutely no docking drama! Woo hoo!!! Many thanks to the three hands that were waiting on the dock when we came back in. Seeing all those friendly faces waiting to volunteer to help us ease into our squeeze of a slip made me grateful for the community of people at Foss Harbor Marina in Tacoma. Many thanks to all of them! It was a great way to start the boating season.

Thanks for the great photo, S/V Elsa!