I recently came across The Mayfly Project.
The Project
At the end of every year since 2000, we invite readers to look back on the last twelve months of their lives and reflect on what has been important, defining or constant during that particular year, and then sum their year up in just 24 words.We believe that embracing the constraint of summing up the last year in a handful of words helps to focus what has really mattered.
The Background
[…]
The best brief biography I’ve ever heard was for a mayfly:“Born. Eat. Shag. Die.”
Because Ephemeroptera lives only for twenty-four hours, the summary of its life is refreshingly straightforward: To the point. The stuff that matters. Just the essentials.[…]
[T]here’s nothing quite like embracing the constraint of brevity (whether time or wordcount) when summing up the last year of your life to make you re-examine your priorities, or focus on what has affected you or was important to you over the last twelve months.
Due to popular demand, we’ve been running the Mayfly Project at the end of every year since then. […] It seems that people have got a lot to say — or rather, that a lot of people have got not a lot to say: twenty-four words, to be precise, reflecting the mayfly’s short lifespan.
© Meg Pickard at Meish.org
I rather liked the project as in many ways, it mirrors my personal journal entries, post-therapy.
Every so often, I make a point of listing the key things that I have achieved (no matter how small), since my last entry. Then, list the things I hope to achieve in the future.
Nothing massive, I don’t want to take over the world; it’s just a gentle way of reminding myself to not let go of the things I’ve learnt through treatment, both about myself and others, and most importantly: to not forget the progress I’ve made since.
Before January draws to a close, here are my 24 words that sum-up the roller-coaster that was 2009.
2009:
Fought for my independence, felt free in London. K and I survived her breakdown. Therapy. Achieved Diploma. FINALLY moved into bungalow, adopted Ziggy. Love.
A full-time wheelchair user since 1998, Claire lives in an adapted bungalow in England with her Partner of 11 years and their two dogs: 















I’m called verbose by some and I reckon I would probably struggle to put a year into 24 words. It’s a interesting idea though, especially with the background.
Hope 2010 is a good year for you guys, and glad K is better.
Got smaller. Got meaner. Learned how to mistrust again and am much stronger for it. Learned how to say no and not regret it.
V xx