Hugh's Views & News Taking Stock: 26 Little Snapshots of My Life and the Blogging World
‘ Taking Stock‘ is a fun, clever way to capture what’s happening in your life right now, using each letter of the alphabet as a prompt. I’m not sure how long this idea has been around, but when I read Debbie’s post on her blog, Deb’s World, it instantly caught my imagination, and I knew I had to give it a try myself.
In her latest ‘Taking Stock’ post, Debbie says she likes to pause every few months to take stock of the little things in her life, as they are sometimes the best bits. I agree!
To answer the prompts, she likes to give herself a few moments to process the words and avoid overthinking them. She then finds suitable photos to add. Debbie does these posts every 3-4 months.
Here goes – my first ‘Taking Stock’ post.
Admiring: Those bloggers who followed me by changing their blog’s theme to a Block theme. I haven’t come across anyone yet who has reverted to a Classic theme. Well done to the bloggers who have made the switch.
Believing in myself: Because of my dyslexia, I don’t usually accept beta-reading offers. But when Marsha Ingrao told me her book was about blogging, I jumped at the chance to beta-read it. It boosted my confidence big time. Thank you, Marsha.
Curious by: I’ve seen some great cloud formations recently. I love that all my photos and information are stored in the clouds. But what happens when it rains?
Is this where all my photos are stored?Decluttering: I love decluttering and have been doing a lot of it over the last few months. It leaves me feeling calm and positive. And look at all that free space! Wow! Not even my blog has escaped. Do you enjoy decluttering?
Excited by: It’s that time of year again. The Eurovision Song Contest takes place on 16 May in Vienna. I’m not sure about the United Kingdom’s entry this year. It’s different, and different can deliver good results, but how many points would you give it?
https://youtu.be/niMKvJ-Itq8?si=ySzj5mWS4W0S_MNJ&t=7
Flabbergasted: I’ve finally convinced myself I don’t need to keep up with fashion trends after seeing this. How do they sit down in some of those outfits?
https://youtu.be/zXCHO7lpCfQ?si=WN71VgrLLVch3Xzn
Grateful for outdoor space. I’m not green-fingered. Thankfully, I have a partner who is.
Horrified by the recent election results in parts of the UK. What on earth is going on? Some parts of society seem to want to go back to the 1930s.
Ironing: My best ideas for blog posts and flash fiction come to me when I’m standing in front of an ironing board. That’s why I enjoy ironing. Where do you get your best ideas?
Juggling time between blogging and life can be difficult. I see bloggers struggling with it all the time. Finding the perfect balance can be challenging, but it can be done. Step back, and you’ll soon see how to do it.
Kindness: This quote struck a chord when I saw it on Bluesky recently. If only all humans were like this. Please be kind to one another.
https://bsky.app/profile/chriswriter.bsky.social/post/3mlazbkfgj223
Listening to music, I used to play when I was a DJ in various pubs and nightclubs in London, where I loved filling dance floors. It was an achievement I loved. Now, some of that music helps me write. Do you have a music playlist?
Mood: I’ve always been a positive person. The glass is always half full. Don’t let others drag you down with their negativity. They aren’t worth your time.
Noticing: The nights. They are getting much shorter in the UK. On June 21st, the sun doesn’t set where I live until 21:37, so we will have over 18 hours of daylight. I still find it strange to go to bed when it’s not pitch dark.
Ordering less online: It’s convenient, but when I do go to the local high street and see how many shops are vacant, it makes me feel that I have been part of the problem. Support your local high street shops.
Puzzled by: I’m still trying to work out why WordPress changed the name of ‘Reusable Blocks’ to ‘Patterns’. It doesn’t make sense. If you’re still using the Classic editor, you won’t have any idea what I’m talking about.
Questioning bloggers: I’m delighted with the response to the questions I asked in my previous post. The main question was ‘How often should you publish blog posts?’ The responses make interesting reading and have many bloggers thinking. Why not join them?
Reading: I’m reading my first book of 2026. Dyslexia means I prefer to watch rather than read, but this book has sparked my interest, especially when I spotted myself on the front cover. It’s non-fiction, fascinating, with some humour thrown in. What are you reading?
Still pleased that I started cutting my own hair in 2013. The hair clippers cost me £49.99. When a barber last cut my hair that year, it cost £7.50. Now that’s what I call a satisfying cost saving. Do you cut your own hair?
Thankful to be able to smile again after having two front teeth replaced with implants. The two offending teeth were removed last July. It’s been a long wait for the bone to fill the gaps and grow around the implant sockets. Now I can share smiles with others again.
Understanding that not everyone will agree with me. But please try to disagree in a professional and friendly manner.
Very thankful that bloggers continue to share my blog posts. Whether it’s on social media, by linking to one of my posts, or simply by mentioning me by name, I’m always delighted when people tell me that reading one of my posts has helped.
Wondering how I won a pair of boxer shorts in a competition I entered to win a year’s supply of teabags. But I guess I should be pleased to have won something. Have you won anything recently?
eXtra special: Yeah, I cheated here, as I couldn’t think of anything that begins with the letter X. As Debbie says in her post, ‘don’t overthink it!’ So here’s a photo of Austin, who is eXtra special to me.
Yearning for you to read my latest story for the Story Chat feature on Marsha’s blog. Honestly, it’s very different from what I usually write and from the other stories I’ve written for Story Chat. It goes live in September.
Zooming in on how good it is to be part of the writing world, given that I have dyslexia. Your support and encouragement have been a big part of the journey. Thank you!
As you can see, this little “Taking Stock” exercise has given me plenty to think about, smile about, and even scratch my head over. I’d love to hear how life is looking from where you are right now. Which of my answers resonated with you most? If you picked just one prompt from this list—Admiring, Believing, Decluttering, Grateful, Wondering, or any of the others, what would your answer be today?
My thanks to Debbie at Deb’s World for the inspiration to write this post.
The featured image in this post was created using the WordPress image generator. AI was used to check for grammar and spelling mistakes and to help with the layout of the post.
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