Yesterday’s post, “On What Ifs?,” was the 50th post at The Hidden Trunk. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my little writing experiment, even if I’ve spent hours staring at my laptop computer, straining to think of something worth writing about. It’s easy to do at first, but, trust me, as times goes on, it gets more difficult.

I want to say a sincere thank you to the friends and family that have read the blog and given me wonderful feedback. Everyone has been so sweet and supportive, and I’ve really appreciated the encouragement. Some posts have worked, others have left a lot to be desired. As I’ve said, I liken this experiment to speed chess. With only one or two exceptions, I write and post the entry on the same day, usually after about an hour of writing. Every single one of the entries would benefit from additional consideration, rewriting, and editing, but, as an exercise to jumpstart my writing and to force the creative juices to flow, it’s worked. And I plan on keeping it up.

As I look over the first fifty posts, my favorites are (in no particular order): the four Axton Village stories; On My Grandfathers’ Ghosts; On the Danger of Terrariums; On What’s Unsaid; On Running in Circles; On Fading Music; On a Letter to Your Pain; On an Annual Goodbye; and On an Anticipated Son.

I began the blog, anticipating that my writing would be significantly less personal. I planned on focusing on my interests in literature, philosophy, and technology. Quickly, however, I was much more interested in mining my life, past and present, for entry topics. I hope that made the entries more compelling; it certainly made for easier writing.

I’ve noticed that, often, I take inspiration from darker topics. I’m intrigued by how people deal with pain…or, often, don’t deal with pain. The idea of people becoming “stuck” in their pain is a thread running through several of the best entries. I certainly do not consider myself a dark person. Really, I fancy myself one of the most positive, stable, upbeat folks you’ll come across. But, from family to friends to even events in my own life, the myriad responses to pain are quite fertile ground to till, and I’m sure I’ll return to that theme…hopefully in different, interesting ways.

As I’ve written the blog, I’ve been surprised my how much I’ve enjoyed the poetry entries. I’m sure a real writer or poet would laugh at the feeble efforts, but they’ve been fun to write, even if they can border on being too angst-ridden. I’m not sure I have a clear favorite entry at this point, but, if I was forced to choose, On an Anticipated Son would be very, very competitive. It’s a very personal piece that’s actually more factually accurate than one might guess, given that a choir singing actually played a part in our decision to adopt. When the little bundle of joy arrives, I think that poem will be framed and placed in his room.

I’ll be returning to Axton Village too. I like that place, and I hope you do too. I can reveal that, the next time we visit Axton Village, we’ll find ourselves knee-deep in a controversy at the annual frisbee toss competition. Stay tuned!

So, as we learn in middle school writing, I’ll end as I began and again thank everyone for all the encouragement. It has really meant a lot to me. If you have a favorite post, drop a comment below. If you want to complain about the poor quality of the writing, well, I guess you can do that too. I wouldn’t blame you.