The best of 2018

I’ve learned over the years that web hits tell only part of the story. They give a glimpse of how a piece has done, but they don’t tell the entire story. The same holds true for blogs. Hits don’t tell the quality of the blog or how it touched someone.

Some of my blogs in 2018 did great from a pure numbers standpoint, others not so much. However, the funny thing is that I didn’t start this blog just for hits. I started it to give myself an outlet and dig into topics that I might not have otherwise touched on.

I love when a blog idea becomes an actual finished product. Sometimes that idea generates tons of hits and comments, sometimes it doesn’t. For me, the important thing is having the conversation.

With that in mind, here’s five pieces that I enjoyed pulling together in 2018. As I mentioned, some did great, some didn’t. You tell me which ones you liked the most:

• Turning 50: When I look into the mirror, I see a young man staring back at me, but then I look down at my driver’s license and I get a different message. What happened?
• My advice for a new parent: Don’t blink: My kids were all babies . . . once. I blinked and now I have to look up to see them in the eye.
• From changing diapers to waving goodbye: My favorite line from the piece:  “I used to cut my son’s dinner for him in small chunk-sized bites. Now he lectures me on what I should and should not be eating and how I should incorporate a protein drink into my work-out routine.”
• In memoriam: Happy on the inside: I write about a college friend, who once reached out and gave me a bit of advice, a bouy, when I needed it most, and how he passed away much too young in 2018.
• When God steps in: Seeing God’s fingerprints all around us.

And five more:

• The Thousand Steps Trail: My annual check-up: My annual hike up a Central Pennsylvania trail that I used to hike as a kid to work through life’s challenges and gauge how fit I still am today.
• Does God have a sense of humor: Laugh loudly, laugh often, and most importantly, laugh at yourself.
• People change: He looked the same, he acted the same, but he wasn’t the same person.
• Battle over the Oxford comma: Every life needs some silliness, better to battle over a stupid comma, then to argue or battle in real life.
• Going out for a long walk: My dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail: Yes, this is a real dream of mine, tops on my bucket list.

What stories hit home the most with you. I would love to hear from you. Let me know.