If you told someone they would have to write 34 essays in a row, they might seem intimidated. Even a writer might break a sweat, but for me, 34 left seems doable, the almost home stretch. I am at mile 23.9 of a 26.2 marathon. Maybe I’m not relaxing, but I’m thinking beyond just finishing, I’m thinking of the type of finish.

Obviously, I’m looking at the project differently with 34 essays to go rather than 365. I’ve got experience, I’ve flexed the muscle so it flows easier; I’ve set precedent.

Also, there is an economics factor with words. The more words I write, the less I value any one word or phrase. Editing and taking notes and critiques became a lot easier when I had to learn to swallow my pride back in early January. My husband reads my work every single night (sometimes just shy of midnight, after waking him gently) and it’s inadvertently become his 365 editing project. It’s a little like having your dad teach you to drive a stick shift, everyone gets a lesson and takes the ride.

I have mixed feelings about the remaining project. For me, it was a monumental year but I wonder if 2016 was really just like any other year only seeming more special by having to write every single day. Despite my original intention of wanting to dip into history to tell an autobiographical story about the human condition using examples from my life (the daily goal of each piece), life forced its subject matter into my project like a noisy neighbor whose racket provoked me to write about them.

As the project flips the calendar to the last month, and my word count tally turns to 227,405 (I keep a running tally spreadsheet), I stare at the thousands of words of a year and think of my first favorite musical before Hamilton, Rent and its trademark song, Seasons of Love and add my own verse:

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Moments so dear

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

How Do You Measure – Measure A Year?

In Daylights – In Sunsets

In Midnights – In Cups Of Coffee

In Inches – In Miles

In Laughter – In Strife

In – Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

How Do You Measure A Year In The Life?

How About Words?

How About Words?

How About Words?

Measure In Words

(and Love).

In Truth That She Learned

Or In Times That He Cried

In Bridges He Burned

Or The Way That She Died

It’s Time Now – To Sing Out

Though The Story Never Ends

Let’s Celebrate

Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends

Remember the Love

Remember the Love

Remember the Love

Measure In Love

Oh, you got to, you got to remember the love

You know that love is a gift from up above

Share love, give love, spread love

Measure, measure your life in love.