This year, as I spent a few minutes thinking about this post, I ended up reflecting on goals and challenges beyond what I set out to. But don’t worry! I will not bore you with too many details about all the sundry thoughts… they went higgledy-piggledy, ran hurry-scurry, literally all over the place towards the end!:) But maybe a sneak peek might peep in here!

What I thought I would do?

As with earlier such challenges, I had thought to have 30 posts ready to go before the challenge began; one post scheduled for each day that appeared magically on my blog. And the only thing I did each day would have been interacting with other participants, you know; by visiting their blogs, commenting and replying to comments that others left on my posts.

What actually happened?

Oh well, who was I fooling? That was certainly not the case (again!!) as the first of April came by and I had not even a single post planned ahead and just the faintest of ideas of what I was going to write about. And to add to it, the world was (as it is now) in the middle of a crisis that none of us have ever experienced before. Navigating unknown waters together, I am sure we are all feeling like those early explorers as we learn how to handle all that is happening, both within our homes and outside. But I am sure we will reach glorious shores soon, into that new and better normal.

I ended up introducing you to books I had read (recently or not so) and lent you a peek into my very eclectic bookshelf. The books are pictured below; and just last week, I found a few, well many more books, in the garage and elsewhere, waiting to be sorted through. We are now hoping to get a new shelf from IKEA (one that has 25 squares!) since we need to replace a couple anyways; and arrange them by letter… Just waiting for the stores to reopen..

Well, history repeats itself, right?

And getting back to the blogging challenges now, my attempts to have things flowing smoothly and failing certainly prove the phrase that history repeats itself though, so who am I to argue?

Reveling in the present while looking to the future..

But like that spider in the tale, I will try again, and hope to succeed.

Until then, I will revel in the success of another challenge completed; and for the fourth year in a row (for the A to Z Challenge), while I need to really check how many UBCs it has been!!!

For the links to all the posts (book reviews, et al) for this challenge, you can check my April Wrapped Up Post.

And as to thoughts on the challenges, I will most likely end up repeating what I said earlier (in this post and in previous reflections). So if you are curious, my previous Reflections posts are below:

• In 2017, I simply said Reflecting…..
• My 2018 post was titled AtoZ Challenge Reflections; where I actually did an A to Z reflection post, one thought for each letter of the alphabet!!!
• And my 2019 post was here where I spent time Reflecting on Challenges and blogging in general. Reading this one made me realize I need to work harder this time around as we take the AtoZ RoadTrip

So here is to two challenges – the AtoZChallenge2020 and the UBCApril2020 – completed in the month of April. I know I disappeared for a bit these last few days but I promise I will be getting back soon.

What is next?

• Well, the Roadtrip for one, where I hope to discover blogs I had missed earlier; and comment on more blogs like I had hoped/wanted to. I hope to do this for all the blogs across the challenges and other blogging groups. 
• While I have managed to actually work on many items in my goals for the year pretty sincerely and consistently so far (a miracle to be sure), I know there are a couple that need work. Like
  • Complete 20 items from the 52 weeks, 52 list (I am yet to start on this consciously)
• Catch up on the other challenges I had on my agenda:
  • the reading challenges for one; though I have been reading a lot, I have not actually linked up to these challenges enough.
  • and then there is the Blog Audit Challenge as well…

And now the end of this post

So dear reader, that was me reflecting on goals and challenges. And I am sure I will return next year (for the AtoZ) and next time (for the UBC), simply because it is fun. What about you? Do let me know… and would love to hear your comments on any and all of my posts..