100,000 HITS! THANK YOU!

With my last blog post, I have surpassed 100,000 individual "hits" on Frazzled at Forty. I am truly humbled by this. I still consider myself a very small fish, maybe even a minnow in a very very large sea. I am astonished and amazed that I have hit this milestone.

I wanted to take a moment to thank my readers who have been with and supported me since the beginning of my blog back in April 2010. I am still going strong 315 published blog posts later with several dozen drafts waiting to be polished and put up. This blog is my love, my burden, my unpaid job, and sometimes my frustration. I do consider it like my child.

I started this blog 6 1/2 years ago. My mother, during her last week of her life, stated she wanted me to do something with my writing. I had wrote since I was a young boy but had considered it nothing more than a past-time hobby which I would do every now and then. I vowed for Mom on her last week here to write regularly and often.


The best way to accomplish this goal for me was start to a blog. I loved the format. It fit my writing style. I have always dedicated my blog to Mom. It was her kick in the pants which lit the proverbial fire under my butt. Mom passed on April 10, 2009 and I finally started this blog a year later as an homage to her with my first short essay being posted in April of 2010. http://frazzledatforty.blogspot.com/2010/04/hello-40.html

The concept, Frazzled at Forty, was thought up as a scattered brained 39 year old adult, entering his 40s, aka middle age. I wanted to show where I've come from, what I'm doing, where I'm going, and how to survive the impending mid-life crisis. (And boy did I have one or two!)

Along the way, I wanted to impart some wisdom on what I've gained. I've talked about friends, family, my previous employment, growing up in high school, college, vacations, and even touched on social issues with colorful commentary.

I have even developed a continuing blog project, "Cooking Through My Family" where I have made almost all of my Mom's family recipes and some of her favorites. I'm finally jumping off into the several baking recipes with trepidation! We'll see how many I can get through this holiday season.

I have never once been nasty or insulted someone. I wanted to write a blog which could appeal to a wide range of people. There are too many blogs out there which tear people down. I wanted to bring people up, make them laugh and make them smile by sharing my life. I like to think I have succeeded.

Many have suggested I start "vlogging" (video blogs) because that's the popular thing to do now. Thanks, but no thanks. I am truly a writer first. It's in my blood. I will continue to write and maybe every now and them occasionally put out short little video embarrassing myself. I am more likely to put up a daily selfie (oh you know I already do!).

So where do I go from here? Well, there was never really any end game planned. I write for writing's sake. I will continue writing these posts as long as good friends, family, and more and more of the public will read them.

In 2017, I'm going to start picking 100 or more favorite essays to format into memoir form and hopefully publish. If I finally publish it, at least I am guaranteed of at least 10 sales from friends and family. LOL

After "Frazzled at Forty" what lies ahead? "Freaked Out at 50"?  Probably more like "F*cked Up at 50" LOL. We'll see. Until then, I've got 3 more years of being just FRAZZLED.

The best compliments I receive are when you my readers connect to a particular blog post and let me know as well as when you tell me that I write like I speak. You could imagine me speaking it before you. That means the world.

THANK YOU!

Thanks go out to my sister Sheryl and my brother Adam for all their continued support through these last 6 years. They put up with me posting embarrassing cringe-worthy memories but hopefully ultimately laughing along with the way as I do. I know I get some of the details off,  but I truly appreciate your support. Thank you Sheryl for being my unofficial "editor" too.

Thanks to my step-mum Martha and Dad. Love you both. Martha always makes a point to send me a note after each blog post letting me know how she relates to it. She also shows my Dad the blog posts for me. It means so much Martha! THANK YOU!

Special thanks to my good friends and fraternity brothers Chuck Buda and Alex Spiezio. Both are accomplished published authors themselves. Your support and encouragement with my writing keeps me going. And Buda, I will be bending your ear as I prep for publishing!!!

Thanks for all of my friends, family members, and other readers who have read and commented on my blog posts. YOU are my audience. YOU are who I write for. YOU keep me going.

Lastly thank you to the Big Ragu. Your support is most important.