The Mayfly Project 2007
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
In December of 2000, I met an old friend for dinner. We hadn’t seen each other in nine years, and hadn’t been in contact for eight. With only a few hours on a chilly evening in London to catch up before his plane left for Canada, we shared our stories in breathless bursts. So much had happened. We had to narrow it down to the essentials.
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.
I realised on the way home from the restaurant that there’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.
When I got home from seeing my friend, inspired by my evening and the biography of a mayfly bumping around in my head, I asked readers of this site to sum up the last year of their lives in just a handful of words. The Mayfly Project was born.
Due to popular demand, we’ve been running the Mayfly Project at the end of every year since then (here’s the 2006 edition). 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.
Submissions for 2007 are now closed. Another year has passed, and we’re back again.
Weslyn. Hard work. Stress. Baltic cruise. True Colors. iPhone. 21st anniversary. Missed Rhonda. Missed Al. Happiness and tears. Jake. Philip. Hope. Love. No regrets.
Lived without an audience, loved across a distance
Watched planes take off without me
as I waited for my turn.
Essays. Documentary. Stress. Disappointment. Exams. Summer. Jobless. Housework. Knitting. Somerset. Caves. Third Year. Jobless. Reading. Lectures. Sewing. Cadfael. Stress. Holidays Fic. Parish Politics. Christmas. Essays. Stress.
Edinburgh. Rekindled old love, lost it. Roleplaying. Atlanta. Lodger gone. Secondment - delayed, going, delayed - repeat. Egypt, new friends. Begin secondment. New York. 2007 = good.
Discovered secret. Injured knee but returned to yoga. Became aunt and discovered desire to become mother. Passed. Made incredible friends. Consistently happy. Moving forward.
Realization
Circumstances
Moth, butterfly and dolphins
New friends
Pino Daniele
Choices, big secrets shared
Back to Brooklyn
Reconnected with friends
An insignificant “WTF?â€
Breathing
Amazing.
Completed Masters. Graduated. Party! Slept, read, relaxed, Cedar Hill. Got best job ever.Celebrated twenty years of kissing with Bob.Life is good.
Felt cold. No new job. Costal walks. New viewpoints. Colour. Learning to write. A place to write. Oil paint. Emotional teenage daughters. Relationship strain.
financial stress; new jobs, apartments, freinds; kitties’ love transcends, still breathing and greatfull, insights noted, losses tallied, lovers enjoyed, blessings counted, life is good!
Escaped that dark cloud
Confidence and laughter regained
Bravely juggled the impossible
Glimpsed who I wanted to be.
I think I am ready now.
Nobbled start.
Corporate fart.
Vanuatu fun hemi namabawan;
Hair Blong Dog, hockey, mighty Yasur,
Smolbag, kava, Dolphins endure.
Numbatri mates new,
Rest In Peace Stu.
Home. With him. Without him.
Beautiful friends. Leaving EVERYTHING.
Finding more. Smiling softly through golden dusty island afternoons.
Standing still/keeping moving. Freedom. Freedom.
Learnt that mayflies live well over a year, but die within a day of achieving adulthood, unable to eat. Resolved to live eternal childhood.
met him, fought her, loved him, dated bitch, dumped bitch, came out, made up with her, he broke my heart, coming to grips, friendship.
2007: year when Big Things happened.
New adventures.
Personal growth spurts.
Discovering new passions.
Re-aligning one’s future.
‘Twas the year that was FULLY LIVED.
New Boss • Spring Training • American River 50! • Drew’s UCI Graduation • 20th Almanor • New Mexico: Santa Fe, Bandelier, Taos • Flag Football • Columbia • Morgan’s Detour Ahead
Melancholy sprouted buds of hope once baked in desert goodness blossomed in homey places as a new year dawned and hope became faith.
Part-time freelancing, full-time life. Friends, family, creative, cultural. Turning forty. Questioning of identity. Growing confidence. Dreaming and scheming. Everything wide open. The unknown awaits.
gained. lost. gained again. lost again. no money. less sleep. missing. exploring. loving. hating. questioning. falling. new perspective. hurt. love. pain. pleasure. missing even more.
Overworked, underpaid, low morale. Snowboarded. Paris vacation kickstarts wanderlust. Lose cell, purse, passport, uncle. Dating drought. Quarterlife crisis. Start major life revisions. Breaking through.
No money. New job.
Big love, big heartbreak.
Fighting. Making up.
Fun & laughing. Became new me.
Desired, but still remained an unkissed virgin.
overworked, underfucked, helped friend (twins), comforted friend (breast cancer), felt needed for first time, fired, increased stress, hired, decreased stress, still searching for love.
Spending precious time with my Mum.
Watching my wonderful infant son.
Tolerating my partner in between great sex.
Chillin’ with my droogs.
Reflecting, writing.
A painful start.
A dream realized.
Am lucky: am in love. Deep in love.
A writer again.
Pleasure.
Post-coital regret.
Pre-coital regret.
Doritos.
I’m not cleaning that up.
Bad poetry.
Cigarettes.
Regret and cigarettes.
That molded quickly.
Regret.
Wine.
Seasonal Affective Disorder.
nihongo no, silent clocks
walks
flashchangeboom:
usa/home.
rootless kite
snagged by cities;
found my path.
lost then found
by old love.
(what fortune!)
Engaged. Broke up. Sadness. PS3. Happiness. LCD. More Happiness. Got a Stalker. Managed to hide. Got a girl. She’s just not right. It’s over.
Lost job, broke up, friend passed away, new room-mate, room-mate moved out, new job, new boy, anxiety attacks, nana passed away. Welcome new year.
Heartbroken by girl. Found meds and AA. Became brilliant, if only for a few months. Graduated. Hired. Found joy in drinking. Same girl heartbreak.
Sleep.Boy.Love.Sadness.Betrayal.Trust.Graduation.18.Loneliness.Disconnected. Morning.Movies.Music.Kisses.Promises.UCR. HimAddiction.Hugs.Pleasure.Pain.RAW.Emotion.Jealousy. Desire.
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Acted a lot like a bee: flew, rested, worked, flew, rested, worked, buzzed around, protected queen, pollinated stuff, made some metaphorical honey and honeycomb.
Missed training. Suspended indefinitely. Revealed drug problem. Entered rehab. Came home. Apologised. Overdose killed friend. Arrested for drugs. Lost job. Banned for twelve months.
started inside comfort zone. left comfort zone. scurried back. left comfort zone. re-entered comfort zone. did the hokey-pokey and turned around. huffed and puffed.