Monday, December 31, 2012

No Other Day The Same: The Challenge

Happy New Year's Eve!

At the camp I attended for eleven years in Maine, we sang countless songs. I still remember each and every song in some weird part of my brain. One song we sang at the end of each summer included the lyric, “No other year the same.” Each year really did seem different, and each day felt unique. I remembered each and every day.

As I continue to grow up (and settle somewhat officially into my 30's), my life has become more...consistent. I go to the same teaching job each day, at the same time, usually via the same route. The days start to blend together, and so do the years. I remember big events, but I no longer remember individual days. I used to be the one out of my friends from high school who could remember specific days from our time together years later, down to where we ate or what we talked about. I can't say I still hold that talent.


So, here’s my challenge. For one year, I will blog every day about something from that day that makes it stand out from the next. In other words, I will strive to figure out what truly makes, “No other day the same.” I’m not talking about the huge life events; I’m talking about the details - the little things. 

One of my passions is traveling, and when I travel, I find no shortage of ways that separate each day from the next. It could have been trying a new type of food, or taking some sort of risk, or an interaction I had with a total stranger that made me stop and think. My goal is to look for those happenings in my everyday life here in Philadelphia. They might not all be incredibly noteworthy, or even necessarily positive. In fact, if I had started this blog a couple weeks ago, I would have written about an older gentleman in the grocery store that 1) shoved me down the aisle and 2) barked at me. Yes, you read that correctly. He actually made a barking sound at me. That day was absolutely not the same as the others!

This blog will serve a dual purpose. I will have a written record of how each day from this year stands out from the rest, and I will simply have a reason to write every day. I started a blog in 2012 about my love of children's books, Can't Quit Kid Lit, and found that not having a consistent deadline to post made me quickly fall off the wagon.


Readers, please feel free to post whenever you come across that one little thing in your day that makes it stand out. I'd love to hear all of your stories.

How’s that for a New Year’s Resolution? Let’s get 2013 started!