Aspects of the reflections of the high rise towers on the absolutely still surface of the water were both symbolic of my journey through this April challenge, but also served as a metaphor for the introspective meditation I could do when I stilled my mind . 

In over a decade of observing the waters of False Creek both close up and from my high level view, I have never seen total stillness as during the months when water activity was shut down due to the pandemic restrictions. And on this photogenic day,  the wind that frequently blows off the water seemed to have retreated up to the clouds to create a perfect mirror below.  

But I knew that with the slightest breeze, a bird alighting to duck down for a fish, an object carelessly tossed from the wall, ripples would spread outward and disturb that perfect mirror. 

So it was with the introspection that accompanied this month of writing  My intent was to write an optimistic semi- science blog about healthy aging and the power that understanding epigenetics could confer to help one change one’s aging trajectory. I titled my 2021 Blog “26 Nerdy Fun Facts about Changing Aging” and wanted to write about the 7 foundational pillars of the Growing Older Living Younger Project, my book and the GOLY Podcast that I launched on day X – that I had been working on throughout the 30 days of April

But like a ripple that cracks that smooth surface, thoughts, from the self improvement and technical programs I was working, on kept intruding and deflecting posts from science into philosophy.  

Like the tower that stretched upward to the sky, the positives of the challenge are many but here is my highlight. I kept my commitment to myself and the program to blog each day; the habit of writing and the discipline to write daily is, I hope, now part of my being. Maybe I will finally finish my novel. And as well I found several bloggers to follow, that I hope will become writing friends.

The downside  – not enough sleep, taking time away from my myriad other commitments, getting lost down the rabbit hole of research and finding out what I know that I don’t know. 

Overall thank you team.  I am already thinking ahead to next April.