It's hard to say how I feel about the way this challenge turned out. I realize I still have two more days to go, and I did not successfully write 30 blog posts. I don't believe I will either. At least not within 30 days. As I usually tend to do, I started losing sight of the point early on. Particularly on those nights when I was forcing myself to type out a few words before midnight to keep the challenge going. There were times I enjoyed writing a post, and there are times when it felt forced. That, I did not like. Of course, in the beginning, I wasn't clear on what I wanted to get out of this challenge. I wanted to improve my writing skills, no doubt. I think I was also hoping for a therapeutic effect from a daily catharsis. Maybe to heal a little bit by opening up to the world. None of the posts have been cathartic. I am so restrained in what I post that I spend more time writing about the meaningless goings-on of my day than anything of merit. I'm not going to actually write about my feelings or my position on any issues. I'll save that for pen and paper where it is not exposed to the entire world. There was a time years ago when I did something like that and it turned out what I thought was funny and satirical others thought to be very offensive. Lesson learned. Now, I try to be objective and avoid topics or wording that might offend. In doing that I'm inhibiting the possibility for that catharsis I hoped to achieve. So, what's the point then? If I'm not getting what I want out of this challenge then why do it? I am getting something out of it. I'm getting writing practice, which is good, but the content of my words feels so empty. I'm sure I over estimate the amount of people who would read any of this. Something this challenge has made me realize, is just how introverted I am. In the world of computer mediated communication it can be so easy to post a picture or even a video of you being yourself. However, when it comes to putting your thoughts and feelings into words and posting that, it is not so simple. Truth be told, I rarely ever posts photos or videos of myself. Maybe it's hard all around. Though there are folks that post constantly and more power to them. Maybe that's what has made this such a difficult challenge. I'm forcing myself to put something out there and hoping for something good to come of it. Probably not the best approach. Not to mention the fact that I have a difficult time staying on track and have a tendency to hope from thought to thought like i'm stepping over cracks in the sidewalk. Speaking of which, I'm going to go to bed so I can wake up and eat again.