Today is the anniversary of my first post, One Last Move, on June 7, 2012 on Butterfly Mind. In that first post, and in many subsequent ones, I wrote about trying to find my way as an at-home mom when our children both went off to elementary school, leaving me alone in quiet, not for minutes but for hours, for the first time in 9 years. I didn’t know if I should pursue a new career, and if so, what would I do? Who would I be? A young friend in Blacksburg commented on one such searching post:
“For your main line of work, I would follow whatever you naturally gravitate toward when you feel the need to be productive.”
How very wise he was. Thank you Phil. You were right. I gravitate towards words when I want to be productive, and I did not see that at the time. When I thumb through old diaries, I realize I’ve gravitated towards writing all along. Every couple of years I express in those private pages my desire to be a writer. A desire that seemed so impractical and unattainable, I never gave it credence. Until this blog. Now, I’m building a writing practice, laying a foundation so that when the kids grow up and move away, I can move forward into a writing career. If that’s still what I want to do ten years from now.
To celebrate my first anniversary, I thought I’d serve up the year’s most popular posts. For those of you who have been around since the beginning, thank you. I am grateful for your support. For those of you who are new here, welcome. Perhaps this run-down will give you an idea of where to start and what to expect on Butterfly Mind. Thanks to all of you for your readership, and enjoy.
Top humor post: Lost Balls
Top memoir post: A Small Thing My Dad Never Knew
Top writing post: Why creative writing matters: new findings on the brain’s reaction to language
Top graph(s): Snow Day Fatigue
Top photo essay: When nature is allowed to be nature
Top book review: Wild: A Book Review in Four Words
and
Top parenting (and most popular overall) post: Dear Diary,
Butterfly Mind 
Congrats on one year!
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Happy anniversary and may you have many more!
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Andrea,
I saw this when you published it and was trying to think of a proper response to convey how much it means to me that you singled me out as a contributor to this blog. At the end of the day, I can just say: I am so happy for any nudge I gave that led to more Butterfly Mind writing. Your blog is so genuine and so relatable and I’m glad you see the great payoff ahead of you. Your readership will stay faithful and I know you’ll reach even more people with your talents. This is all your hard work and I’m glad you’ve kept it up.
Here’s to dozens of more years!
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