Day 30: A post mortem

Photo credit: Reticulated Writer

I did it! I finished my 5th year in a row of NaBloPoMo. Of course, I do commit to writing a post a day during other random months, but November is a hard one to finish, mostly because of Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep, which has been rare this month. I'm lazy and I procrastinate, so I end up starting to write when I should be crawling into bed most nights. And then when the alarm clock starts beeping at 6:00 am, I'm a sorry tigger.

I don't have anything exciting to say about the genitals of either sex tonight. Those aren't the posts people seem to like best anyway. In fact, the post that got the most views this month was day 4, the one about not putting corn meal in the cornbread. I should share either more embarrassing stories or more recipes. I suspect it's the former. No problem. I have plenty of those.

The post that came in second for views (and not even close, which I cannot explain) was the one about finding a note on my van on day 21. However, that one got by far the most likes and shares on Facebook, as well as the most comments in various places where I shared it. It was also my favorite, if I get a vote. Probably one of my favorites ever.

A not very close third was the one about voting for Hillary's vagina on day 6. A day when I was still innocently sure I'd finally see a woman sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office. Turns out it doesn't really matter how many of us voted for her vagina .... well, nevermind. I'm bitter, that's all.

The biggest surprise of the month -- in Reticuland, not nationally -- came after I posted about my art journaling on day 27. I came close to pulling that one in the middle of the night after I went to bed with a rock in my stomach. Real artists read here, you guys! But I didn't delete it. I stayed in bed and left it there and probably had a dream that I went to school naked and forgot my locker combination, and then had to pee in public. My dread was for naught. Thank you for being kind. More of you left positive comments on Facebook than I could have imagined. And, yes, even a couple of the real artists did. I blushed and teared up several times. 

And then a truly crazy thing happened. My friend Starfish said she wanted to buy one of them. She said it spoke to her of our friendship and what we'd gone through in the past. I was kind of stunned. I'd made no plan for such a thing. I asked an artist friend about pricing. And I also had to get used to the idea of letting go. Selling words is one thing. They're always still mine, in a way. Selling art ... well, I had to realize it's no different. And it creates a unique connection between the artist and the buyer. Just like the words on each of these blog posts represents something about who I was that day, so too does a work of art represent in a visual way where the artist was that day. And with the art journaling, the words I incorporate are often linked to something that is happening or has happened in my life. So .... yeah. That was unexpected and very cool.

And inspiring. Just like writing here and then engaging in conversations about the things I write about inspires me to write more, so did sharing my little art journals inspire me to want to create more. I've got ideas for several I'm working on now.

I hope you all went out and bought some Native deodorant. I know some of you did. I'm still bummed that I didn't hear back from them after I sent a link to my post. So if you get a chance when you order, please tell them where you heard of it. Or not. It doesn't really matter, now that I think of it.

John Cheever said, "I can't write without a reader. It's precisely like a kiss. You can't do it alone." I'll finish tonight by thanking you for kissing me back, and even slipping me some tongue every once in a while. Thank you for your likes and your comments, which are like a trail of breadcrumbs to the next post for me, and the times you shared a post with your friends. Shares are always welcome and flattering.

If it weren't for you I'd have no reason to come here to my little piece of the blogosphere and write in the late hours of the night. I don't make money from it (except the $250 I won the first year I did this). I don't get free products or invitations to speak at conferences. (Hell, I didn't even win one of the 4 free scholarships to the big Blogher conference in Orlando that were given away this month.) It's just you and me here on Free Parking, and I'm doing most of the talking. Just as I like it.

I'm taking a short break to get some sleep and maybe make some art. See you in a few days. Promise!