Wednesday, March 16, 2022

SOL 16/31: My Favorite Day of the Challenge

I looked back at ten years of slicing to see if I had ever written a celebratory post about Day 16, when we're finally more than halfway finished with the challenge. I haven't! But here's a summary of my March 16 posts through the years.

2012 - I write about a student who rescues me from my Friday night funk and provides fodder for my slice.  *I was delighted to discover this comment from my brother, a fellow educator.

Ramona, I love that they are your students forever. Reminds me of what I always tell my clients that go through my Starting & Running a Business 101 class. I tell them that they have lifetime rights to me -- that they can always come back for help or a sounding board for new ideas they want to try in their business.

And that's the kind of educator and person that he was! We miss him.

2013, 2014, & 2020 - I write about our book club retreat, a yearly event held annually in March until 2020. Now we've missed three years of gathering. Maybe we can meet later this year. We still meet virtually to pick our books for the upcoming year. 

2015 & 2019 - I write posts inspired by fellow slicers: Heidi at Wordsmithing inspires my job description and Kim & Elsie inspire an illustrated cinquain.

2016 - A four-pawed guest becomes the mascot of our after school book club, Books, Brownies, & Beyond.

2017 - I write a mediation on badges. Can we create a hybrid badge (plantsers) for slicers who usually fly by the seat of their pants (pantsers), but occasioanally manage to plan (planners) a slice?

2018 - I write a post about moon books and a moon poem. Update: I need to add my latest discovery, The Children's Moon (2021) by Carmen Agra Deedy to the two favorites I spotlighted in this post: Owl Moon (1987) and When the Moon Comes (2017).   

2021 - I join Leigh Anne's slicer party!

2022 - I write about Day 16 through the years and celebrate my favorite day of the challenge.

Do you have a favorite day of the challenge? I do and it's today, March 16th! (Cue the confetti and balloons and let the celebration begin.) I love it because we've come over the top of the mountain (just barely) and the end is in sight. The slow slog to day 16 is accomplished and we will fly through days 17-31! 
 
This is my eleventh year of participating in the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. This year I'll be mining my memories for stories to share.  

7 comments:

  1. I've never even thought about what a day of celebration March 16 should be! I'm so glad we've made it through to the other side! It's all downhill from here. How interesting to see all of the topics you've written about on this day before!

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  2. This makes me want to go back and look at day 16 of years past!

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  3. Isn't it fascinating how writing leads you to do things like go back and look at past 16ths of March, to discover a comment from your brother and so much more? Where the Muse leads, follow... something wonderful awaits!

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  4. "2017 - I write a mediation on badges. Can we create a hybrid badge (plantsers) for slicers who usually fly by the seat of their pants (pantsers), but occasioanally manage to plan (planners) a slice?"

    Oooh, I remember when we did badges! That was for the 10th one. :-) We might have to do it again next year... for the SOLSC's "Sweet 16."

    March 24th is my favorite day of the challenge. It's the anniversary of my grandmother's passing. She died on 3/24/07. She's the reason that the SOLSC is in March. Yes, I was inspired to get my students to write more and decided they needed a challenge. But, also, I purposely made it in March (March 2008) since it was the one-year anniversary of my grandmother's passing. The first challenge -- both online and in my classroom -- was a balm, of sorts, to soothe my soul. Therefore, every year, on the anniversary of her passing, I think of her with great fondness. What's was initially such a sad day brings a smile to my face now since I'm surrounded by other writers on that day each year. (Plus, it's the start of the home stretch of the challenge.)

    Bet you didn't expect that long of an answer, did you? ;)

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    1. RELATED: 3/16 is the anniversary of my grandfather's passing. That's right, both of my mom's parents passed away in March. (Although he died in 1990.) Therefore, March is bittersweet. I miss them both (I was their only grandchild.), but I'm surrounded by Slicers, which is the sweet part!

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    2. So fun to learn some of your personal history and the slicer history too! Thanks for sharing, Stacey. I still wish we sliced in February for an even four weeks, 28 days. But March has so many connections and what other month invites us to march as we slice?

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  5. I never thought about the celebration of being half way there. A great idea!

    I am in awe of all of your posts and all that you have shared with readers!

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