Not quite ready to face the fact that I’m no longer a blogger, hesitantly I type in the url that I’ve been missing: http://ruthayreswrites.com. The irony of my title — Ruth Ayres Writes — when Ruth Ayres hasn’t been writing (at least not in this space) makes me roll my eyes. I sigh at the subtitle — stacking my stories so you have the gumption to shine. Yes, that’s why I’ve been writing blog posts for more than a decade.

Pushing through a cringe, I count my 2018 blog posts. I’m shocked and relieved to find 24 posts. I count again. That’s not too shabby — it’s an average of two posts a month. I think about the 12,000 words on a new book proposal. I consider the articles I’ve  written for Choice Literacy and Lead Literacy. I consider the new professional blog I’ve started as a director of a professional learning consortium. I remind myself of the three journals I’ve filled this year.

I’m not a fraud.

In the year where I’ve claimed moxie as an intentional approach to life, I am glad to find evidence that the writer in me survived. There are 9 more days in 2018. In an effort to finish strong in living a year of moxie, I’m going to write a post a day.

These posts are not  an obligation. They are for joy, because I like writing. The best gift I can give this season is simply stacking a few stories to close out 2018.