Rediscovering Myself Through a Year of Writing

What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year?

I will start with my New Year’s resolution—something I don’t usually do. But this year, I decided to write a blog post a week, and so far I am ticking off every week. Only three blog posts to go! Or two, after this one is published. So, what did I learn during this year of blogging?

I started writing when I was very young. I remember writing poems as a teenager. Then I decided to become a marine biologist. Remember the National Geographic magazines from my previous post? I blame them for that decision. It didn’t last long.

I attended only two or three months of the biology course before stopping when I realized my favourite subject was actually Portuguese! Yes, I was living in Rio at the time, and my grammar classes were pure joy. It was time to find a course that would suit my passions better.

I had to start over a couple of times until I was accepted to another university in Rio, this time for Communications. I explored various options within journalism—radio, TV, and print—and eventually settled on printed journalism. I worked inside media rooms before transitioning to public relations early in my career.

So writing became both my profession and my passion. I have numerous articles published in magazines and newspapers, and I spent considerable time knocking on doors pitching stories about interesting places and trips. Traveling and writing—two passions that complement each other beautifully.

I also picked up enough photography to accompany my stories with publishable images. Not to become a photographer, but enough to enhance my work. I even paid for my honeymoon—a trip to India and Nepal—with the income from my writing. Later, when my late husband was sick, blogging kept me sane and afloat during one of the most stressful and uncertain times of my life. (The pages under Grieving Support on the top menu are from that period and the time after his passing.)

After all this reflection, I think it’s safe to say that this year’s routine brought me back to myself. “Forcing” myself to write each week came naturally, and I genuinely enjoyed using the prompts WordPress offers, letting my memories guide the way. I’m not quite back to where I want to be yet, but I’m very close—and I’ve already decided to keep writing in 2026. 🙂