2026 A to Z Reflections #AtoZChallenge

It's time to reflect on my experience in the 2026 Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Along with many other bloggers, I participated in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge this past April  I've done this Challenge successfully every April starting in 2015, missing only 2025 because, well, life happened.   What happened also made the 2026 Challenge more difficult than previous Challenges but I had the time and energy this year.  Last year, it never would have happened.

Life lesson:  never take anything for granted.  Life is fragile and can change in an instant.

Many of us assign a theme for the month and yes, I did, also.  Mine was: beauty of our land.  

If anything, I appreciate the beauty around me even more than in the past.  I am a digital photo hoarder (I may have passed the 20,000 mark on my phone recently-I'm almost afraid to look) and going through my photos to choose the ones I would post this past April brought back so many memories.

Good memories.

Good memories sustain us for the hard times, and also make us realize that beauty still exists even if we are not in a mindset to enjoy it.  It will be there for when we can be receptive enough to enjoy it.

So, looking at these photos also made me feel, once again, gratitude.  Gratitude for the blogging community I discovered, after nearly two years of blogging, when I participated in my first blogging challenge (not A to Z) back in 2011.  Gratitude for the blogs I read regularly and for the blogs I discover each year of the A to Z Challenge.

We are asked to answer some questions.  I'll put them at the end so if you weren't part of the Challenge, you can skip them, but I'll answer one up front so you don't have to wade through questions and answers that don't interest you.

I won't name the blogs, as I don't want to leave anyone out.

So, how am I feeling?  Tired.  I pre-wrote many of the posts, but still had to scramble towards the end.  But then again, I wasn't the only one.

In reflecting, I also decided I would not go back to daily blogging like I did for so many years, but it's good to know I still have it in me to do that.

Finally....

Today is a special one year anniversary in my life.  

So, to any new bloggers who discovered me during the Challenge, thank you.  And, if you are a regular reader, thank you, too.

I appreciate all of you.

And now the questions and my answers in red

Our team theme this year was: A is for Aspirations: Blogging hopes, dreams, and goals

Do you feel like our team's posts from this month met your expectations for that theme?  True confession: I didn't read the team's posts.  

While you reflect on your blog's April Challenge posts, please consider this:

• How do you feel about the Theme Reveal? (Especially if this is not your first year doing the Challenge.). I always find it helpful; I base some of the blogs I will read on their reveals.
• In what ways does the reflection post help you? It helps me look back on the month, something that's impossible to do in the midst of the Challenge.
• What experiences have you had in the past, or hope to have this year, with the Road Trip? I haven't taken the Road Trip in the past; I don't plan to this year.
• Does the HTML on the badges/ graphics page help you? Yes.
• Did you meet your blogging goals in April? Yes.
• What were your top five favorite blogs from the challenge to visit in April this year? I choose not to reveal them because several common blogging genres don't interest me at all and I'm sure my subject matter isn't universally loved, either.
• Did a co-host (J Lenni Dorner, Arlee Bird, Zalka Csenge Virág, John Holton, Jayden R Vincente, or Ronel Janse van Vuuren) comment on your blog during the challenge? Yes.
• Is there a comment you received on your blog in April that is your favorite? I don't rate my commenters; I appreciate everyone who takes the time to visit and comment.
• Who were your top comment-leavers this challenge, and did they do the challenge? Hard to say because some of my favorite bloggers were those I met through the challenge -some years back, some recently, and some don't do the Challenge every year. Some didn't do it this year but still read my blog.  
• Is your blog open to comments from everyone, or only comments from those who "sign in" to the platform?  Open to everyone, although I moderate posts and therefore they may not be published for hours or even the next day.
• Do you feel this helps or hurts your blogging comment goals? I have no blogging goals other than making myself happy.  I don't blog for revenue or to promote a business.  If I didn't enjoy blogging, I wouldn't do it.

• • Are there any other blog hops you regularly take part in? Yes, all my current blogging involves participating in blog hops: Music Moves Me, Wordless Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, Shadowshot Sunday, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
  • Did you discover anything interesting because of the Challenge? Yes.
  • Will you plan to do the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge in 2027, and why (or why not)? That will depend on my personal situation in 2027.  I had to sit 2025 out due to the fickle finger of fate saying otherwise.  Life is always uncertain.
  • Will you recommend this blog hop to others? Yes.
  • If RoadTrippers only visit one of your Challenge posts, which would you suggest and why? (This question is also the prompt if you create a RoadTrip post.). 
  • Do you plan to visit the A to Z site every month? No although I may drop in from time to time..
  • The site gets many hits, even in the off-season!
  • Did you refer someone to hope to win a guest post spot? No, because what would I say? 
  • What else could the team offer you to persuade you to encourage others to join the challenge? Perhaps come back and ask me that next year.