The Mayfly Project 2008
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, and here’s what happened in 2007). 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.
Another year has passed, and we’re back again.
The Instructions
Scroll down to sum up your 2008 in twenty-four words. But before you do, check:
- Is it twenty four words?
- Does it sum up the last year of your life?
If the answer to either of those is no, you’re going to look silly.
Buried someone, hired someone; got promoted, dejected and written in a book, invaded Cornwall, Vegas and Edinburgh, now trying to get unlost in London.
A year already? This one has been all about fast. Breathing and eating InDesign. Boy is four. Got some answers, finally. Inhale, exhale, repeat.
hated job, got laid off, found metal, got stuck, got sick, got political, got new president, got hope, got new apartment, finally really moving
Lots of killing time in hotel rooms in interesting places, as well as meeting nice people. Had operation. Worked hard. Created things. Pondering move.
Financial Crisis, Creative Freedom, Child Gets Bigger, So do Dreams.
Changed Job (now unemployed), Home, and Motivators. Hope for Change on a global scale.
India trips delighted. Lost one rudder on two sailing trips. Fall came and the market fell too. Darkness and Winter overstaying, no return ticket.
Painting, fixing, drilling, plastering, digging, sowing, mowing, strimming and trimming. Spent all of my time, energy and money on my house. Next year – holidays!
Am working on this year’s edition. Thank you for the idea; I’m sharing it with friends!
Was looking forward to unemployment, instead landed dream job. First feelings of patriotism and hope in many years. 2008 felt like a party.
Traveled (Hawaii! Mexico! Texas!). Fell in love, fell out. Diabetes diagnosed, dealing. Silver linings: Know myself better! Lost weight! Doing fantastic going into 2009!
Sister weds – yours truly emcees. Itchy feet – Indochina amazing! Work trip to London – lovely catchups. Change of Government – big work promotion. Busy but fun!
Made too many promises. Doused life in gasoline, lit match, currently sifting through the ashes, considering whether to rebuild. Trying to avoid repetition
Found true love in more ways than one. Hope to say the same this time next year. Second year of college better than first.
travelled, obnoxious boss gone, moved home, family issues, great work buddies, dealing with ED, falling in love? plans for 2009 – volunteer, apt, law, training?
engaged in march, married in october. lost weight, changed job, became an aunt. planning big wedding for 2009, looking at houses. loving him fiercely.
changed, finished school, found a future, learnt the value of soft smiles, big love, unusual faces and strange places, cared, found, lived, loved
[...] per tradition of summing up a year in true mayfly [...]
passed NCLEX-RN, first real job, labor and delivery, growing as a nurse, wedding countdown, married whee!, BFF married too, happy stressful year, welcome 2009
Left friends behind in paradise. Found friends waiting with open arms! Loved them afresh. Loving someone amazing. Fizzy Bowen asunder. Rest in Peace Dad.
Partying. New band. Partying. Old band. Label? Luka. Signed. Partying. Luka. Tour. Partying. Luka. Tour. Partying. Luka. TOUR. Partying. Luka. Work – always working. Partying.
Found forever love,
then found myself
Found a family,
but I can be my own
Found casual friends,
but then they’re the real gems.
[...] is something I’ve done for many years — The Mayfly Project, which is a yearly year-ender (haha) wherein you summarize your year in 24 words. The key is [...]
freelanced and temped, fell into a relationship, fell out of it, beat the black dog back, stable(r), happy and thankful for friends and family.
[...] The Mayfly Project [...]
Diet, drank, diet, drank.
Play started.
1988: 20 Years?!?
Travelled too much.
Writer’s Block: end?
New (real) President.
Play: found end.
Hope, love,
safe(?)
[...] is the third year that I have participated in Project Mayfly. Essentially reflect on your life in the last year and describe it in 24 [...]
f*ckwit builders, all consuming job, broken bones, nuisance neighbours, flooded flat, depressed partner, BUT got engaged and became a God Parent. Roll on 2009!
[...] past few years, i’ve been taking part in the mayfly project: summing up the past year in just 24 words. so here, then, is my 2008. becoming british, taking [...]
[...] started to make it a tradition to do the Mayfly project thing of summarizing my past year in 24 words. I found this year incredibly hard to encapsulate [...]
Dublin, Dublin, Cologne, London, Brighton, Paris, Paris, Dublin, London, Antwerp, Galway, Dublin, London, Paris. The view from a rock star’s garden. Best. News. Ever.
Stress, hospitals, worries, York, allergies, work work work work work, Yorkshire, houses, hotels, California.. plans?
Planes and trains. Visions of Bath. Yellow wallpaper and family dinners. Friendship. A big mistake. Back to school. 4.0. Preparing for 2009. Almost there.
I wish I could find words: 2008 was a year of too many firsts, the greatest highs, the loneliest lows.
Hated Uni, Lost Hair, Finished Uni, Hair came back. Moved in with boyfriend. Am now massively happy.
hope, fun, excitement, shock, love, stupidity, pain, separation, determination, waste, depression, hope, work, work, sad, love, starting again. not alone. smiling. no more crying.
Lost a friend, learnt to live with it. Dream job happened. Did some new things, made some new friends. Might just be content.
Worked and relaxed (not necessarily in that order). Counted words. Slept. Read, digested and reflected. Wondered what I’d have in Mayfly project for 2009.
I started storytimes at library. Kept raising my kids, laughing with husband. Harvesting things. Wild ocean. Lost my cat. Satisfying snowstorm.
Cinnamon sugar hair. LA trip! Last showcase; Michael’s piano. Tony moves; miss him. One sad sister, one harried sister. Overtime. New voice teacher. Obama!
London! Eleven days of wonderful adventures. Got lost, took pictures, had fun. Survived 20 years at work. Had dental work done. Loved London lots.
Everything is different: perfect child arrived, became a mother, living in fantastic relationship. Passing second year, boards is secondary to my lovely life, family, friends. So happy.
Lost my man, left my job, got robbed a lot, work all the time, now I get to hug penguins.
got dumped gained weight father died depression lost clients dumped again maybe dating no money bills bills bills fantastic sex new president ahhhh 2009
Numbness, then summer’s light. My brother is growing up. A family’s warm embrace. Finding a spiritual community, building authentic relationships, knowing abiding love. Present.
nice, exciting, not so good, funny, computer games, a little bit bad at school, ill, rats, bass-guitar, music, reading, new mobile telephone,
good starts,other class,new friends,5 in english,summer,studing,every day lido,italy,no hair,computergames at baders place,bad at school new bike;
I asked with a picture
she said yes with a smile
knowledge increases love grows
Lost job New job
Looking forward to the Wedding
Felt loved
Coal Ring
Depression lingered
Bullied at work
Let go
Got job
Love ended via text
Hospitalized
Let go
Denied Unemployment
Met him
West Coast Tour • Tucson • Sutter’s Fort • 21st Birthday • Boulder Creek • Alaska: Skagway, Marjorie Glacier, Denali • Napa • Gunner’s Baseball • 1,924 miles
Hated then loved my job
Found one new friend and one old
Biked on beaches and through five boroughs
Broke my bone and heart