The Mayfly Project 2006
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. 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.
Scroll down to read how people summed up their 2006 in twenty-four words. This year’s edition can be found here. What would your 24 words be?
oracle, yahoo
flew to asia, hawaii
still not in L.A.
mayfly 2006…
my mayfly project entry for 2006, which is sum up the last year in 24 words or less, although somehow i end up doing a haiku: oracle, yahoo flew to asia, hawai’i still not in L.A…….
Moved into new house. Husband-man got job in Austin. Half marathon, MS150, 3 triathlons. Holiday in Chamonix, attended two weddings in England. Having a baby!
Bored out of my mind. Love and hate thing with job. Really connected with family. Still no love life. Doubt there ever will be.
Living in the desert learning photography..
solo hiking.. personal bests.. endurance.. extremes.. risks..
flirting with death but not yet looking her in the eye..
joined gym, did yoga, took auditions, planned/gave recital, played festival, had fun, moved to boston, adopted cat, made new friends
Uncertainty, fear and pain. Death. Strong moments. Felt proud and honoured. Creative again finally. Have hope. Glad to see 2007.
The Girl in the Cafe. Girl. Cafe. Bill. New York. London. Move. Postcards. Daniel. Film school. University. Screen writing. Davy. Love. Dreams. Plans. Realisations. Found.
Still with Dan. Still not in love. Cafe still not so good. Lake house not rented yet. Yikes, sounds worse than it was.
make haste slowly.
travel.
truck.
paddling.
facing fears.
asking.
friends, food, home, warmth, family.
new beginnings (but with more data).
thanks.
east bay?!?
(exhale)
Still teaching. Married for fourteen years, still happy. Daughter is my best contribution to society. Blogging, crafting, learning. Working on being happy with self.
Visited the Big Apple. Didn’t get into Law School. Hated my job. Love my current major. Got a new roommate. Stressed through autumn.
sleep is dead. Summer:
The creepy kid. Lonely.
Ishmael.
My people: Love! Superlatives!
Chicago.
School = friendless.
Killed a man. ….Anymore!
Bliss.
Identity! Happy myself.
Kept to myself. Fell in lust. Still too fat. Been depressed, but fear not! there’s a pill for that! Gee, menopause is swell… not.
Techno leap, braces, finally a digital camera, bad wrist; no exercise, Bleak House continued, film zombie. An answer? New ancestry, Berlin, more grounded. Friends.
Went to school too much, or too little by their standards. Hung out at the beach all the damn time. Saw Guillemots live. Fly!
Started grad school, got accepted, lost gram, married two years, learned my mentor does like me.
Looked for new job, taught, learned more.
Helped save a life.
Managed not to lose mine.
Missed a boat ride with a wonderful man.
Fought to save my way of life.
Still fighting.
Paid off mortgage, bought cottage. Lost biggest client next day. Some amazing family canoe outings, but cottage hardly used. Depression overcome… stress, debt remain.
Vet school is so much harder than I dreamed. Class, study, sleep, blah blah. My poor husband has almost forgotten my name. Still going.
Melbourne. Finally, the boy! Colourful nesting. Kareoke. Dumplings. Sunday sunshine beers on milkcrates at St Jerome’s laneway. Cloud montages. But adult? Work is horrible.
Strengthened and added friendships; dissolved relationship.
Good classes; three education-related jobs.
Love matrices happen at college, too.
I’m a good sounding board.
Norway. Blueberries.
Moms’ cancer. Chemotherapy, radiation. Hair loss and humor. Airports. Tears. Ripley. 938 miles. Walking my brother home from school. Love stronger than I imagined.
Spring Training • RCIA • Promotion! • France: Paris, Reims, Chamonix • Almanor • Squaw Creek • Andrew Heringer’s Morgan the Conqueror • Training for AR50 • Two incomplete goals • Four Funerals
Thirty-seven. Back to school as an undergrad, getting good grades, who’d'a thunk it? Son’s nearly five, learning to read. Husband’s amazing. Life’s good.
left job for phd, computer engg to computational biology in a top notch institute. regret. not good at cramming. confused: back to job/mba/phd in cs – what do i really like to do?
Made peace with the realisation that I’ve lost faith
Pushed the limits of my comfort zone
Got stuck in elevator 30 minutes before 2007
Finsihed college, left the “best years of my life”
moved alone to a new country
Learned more than in all 4 years of college
Schizophrenic Dad’s alive! Puzzle piece found. Lose family.
Move, horrible job, broke.
Faint in Yosemite (1st date!)
Isolated, then stronger, patient.
Family returning slowly.
Ass kicked by illness, injury, pestilence, poverty, depression. Babies everywhere, friendships solidify, warming the heart. Learn, dream, persevere, resolve, hope, laugh, love, live – vigorously.
Great New Years
Became Manager
Portland
Got new camera
Break Up
Lost Boss
San Diego
Wrote novel
Trying again
Stood up in the end
I only need fiveteen words to describe this piece of shit year. 2006 you suck!
A dogged start
A death
A denial
A degree
A dashing husband
A delightful daughter
A dog, smelly but wonderful
A dozen dreams
Amen
Trip to Tassie. Moved house. Marked essays. Met some men- no luck. Two weddings. Eight live music shows! Wrote 304 page story. Started blog.
Brother’s death, lost friend.
Guilt, grief.
New city, new job.
Loneliness, confusion.
New love, new life.
Contentment, clarity.
Undesired drama, renewed faith.
Chaos reigns.
Nashville: Stress; Resignation; Change; Determination; Chance; Hope.
Seattle: Journey; Exploration; Lost; Discovery; Adaptation; Growth; Appreciation; Reflection; Reminiscence; Importance of Life, Friends, and Family.
CHAOS!
Not as interested in video games.
More interested in politics, finances, and of all things: cooking.
Holy crap. I’m becoming an adult.
Moved to Papua New Guinea and moved on from heart break. Gave up the fags then considered becoming one. Didn’t save the world. Again.
Secrets are hard. Making progress. Recovering. Happy on my own. Feeling old. Travelled more than I can afford. More and more in love. Calm.
fighting, love, unravelling, regaining, strength, lost love, looking for self, new direction, old habits, silly mistakes, being ok, loving, living for the moment, trying
Law school. Broke up with boyfriend. Back together. Broke up. Back together. New apartment. Got fired from job. Grades sucked. Financial mess.
New start.
Completed master’s (with distinction). Joyce in Trieste. Fell in love four-ish times (unreciprocated as always). Did the same to someone else. Started my doctorate.
Got hurt. High for first times. School’s wonderful. Teaching’s amazing. Trying to be a better person. Still kissless, still good. Found friends. Made comics.
sad. death. breakup. found self. job quit job quit. happy. kisses. boys and girls. road trips. friends and beer. love soon i hope. high. sisters good. the end.
Nice weblog,keep up the good work and let’s have some more posts like this.
changed jobs lots, didnt like any. applyed to expesive college, got in. summer in florida. new start at college. miscarraige. still love my husband.
fell in love. where there’s a beginning, there’s an ending, whether it’s fit for heaven or hell. still trying to put myself back together.
gave up my job, gave up my partner, found a new job and a new home, and a new partner too. Wish me luck.
Procrastinating, still.
I am not me.
Trapped, sadness, balanced by hope.
I can taste a new life.
Courage and conviction for the journey.
Soon…
Was uncertain. Hid boredom behind music. Broke free from personified monotony, got the life straight, much happier.