Yee-haw, y’all; hey, it’s that time of the month once again here in the Middle Zone! No, not that, ya big galoot! Nope; it’s time for this month’s edition of What I Learned From…

And this time I have, right here in my hot little hands, a FREE PRIZE for one lucky participant! (sound of crowd cheering) But… you’ll have to read the whole post for details.

OK; unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you’ve probably noticed the ongoing series of posts here at the Zone I’ve titled Scenes From a Sidewalk, right? Well, to tell you the truth, when I first began, I figured there’d be only a few posts come out of it. Well, guess I should have had a little more faith in my ideas, y’know?

Since then, it’s sorta taken on a life of its own. Every day some new thing catches my eye, generating lesson after lesson! As a matter of fact, I’ve got a whole slew of posts just cryin’ to be posted! (And I’ll tell ya; all that whinin’ and cryin’ is startin’ to get to me!)

Then my friend Joanna Young made a really intriguing suggestion. (Probably while she was munching on the wrong end of a pizza. But I’m over that, Joanna. Really.) I’ll tell ya; it was as if the clouds suddenly parted, a bright light shone down on me from above, and the angels started singing!

Her comment: This might make a great What I Learned From… topic! So I says to myself, Self, let’s do it!

So that’s your topic for this month’s project!

What I Learned From a Sidewalk

You know that old saying about taking the time to stop and smell the roses? Well, that’s the idea behind this month’s project.

I want you to think about the places you go, the people you see, and the journeys you take every day. Do you go… down the stairs? … down the street? … down the hatch? … down the tubes? Hey, I want to know what you discover on your trip down the figurative sidewalk. (OK; I know not everybody calls a sidewalk a sidewalk. Some folks, as Joanna pointed out, call it pavement. Go figure!)

Or maybe where you live there’s no concrete at all, but beaten paths. Hey, it could even be a hallway or corridor or in your workplace, a frequently-driven route to the grocery store, or whatever! The point is, on a common journey you take often – maybe even every day – there are lessons to be learned all around you!

So, I want you to pick a spot, stop, and take a genuine, in-depth look around you. (And PLEASE don’t do this while you’re, y’know, driving!) Now, pick something that just sorta speaks to you. Is there something; some scene, object or incident that catches your eye? Does it tickle your fancy? Remind you of something? Spark a lesson or example of something interesting?

OK, now all you have to do is write a post about what you learned from it!

New for WILF! FREE Prize This Month!

As I mentioned up there at the top, I have a fresh, totally new, and guaranteed unread copy of Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett‘s book, Problogger to give away (with thanks to Chris Garrett for the generous offer of several promotional copies). Hey, if you’ve ever considered tryin’ to make a living as a blogger, this is a must-read, y’all!

So, just to make this month’s project more interesting… one lucky and randomly-chosen participant will win a free copy! (sound of crowd cheering) (Don’t worry; if you don’t win one this time, there’ll be more over the next several months!)

Here’s How to Enter

Hey, you know the drill. Like I said; you can pretty much write anything you like, as long as it illustrates a lesson (or lessons) learned. Be specific. Be non-specific. And, since I never impose a restriction on length, be as eloquent as you like. But most of all, be yourself – and write something!

The contest is open from now thru Sunday, March 8, at midnight (that’s midnight to me, which is GMT-6 time), so write your post(s) (yes, you can enter more than once!), and send me the links! I’ll post the entire list of entries on Monday, March 9, and I’ll announce the winner of the Problogger book on Tuesday, March 10.

And let’s not forget the details…

1. Write a new post (or more than one) on your blog with a link to THIS POST (uh, the one you’re reading now). As I said, feel free to be as eloquent (or concise) as you like. C’mon; show off for us!
2. Send me an email (rhruzek@sbcglobal.net) containing your name, the title of your post, and the permalink of the post. (To make sure I don’t miss it.)

That’s all there is to it! Next Monday, March 9, I will post the entire list of entries right here at the Middle Zone, so be sure and drop by to check ‘em all out.

As always, we have just two simple rules around here:

• For the sake of the general blogging audience, please keep it G-Rated. (Also please note: this is a request, not a demand, since after all it’s your blog and you can do what you want. Fair warning: I can choose to link to you or not.)
• Be nice.

All right, ladies and gentlemen; you know what to do! Grab the writing instrument of your choice and start writing!

[Note from the Proprietor - I realize it takes a little time to write your entries, but would you mind too terribly not waiting until midnight on Sunday night, March 8, to notify me? Sometimes it can be difficult to get them all compiled by Monday's 6 am post time! I surely thank you, and as a token of my appreciation - have yourself a cookie!]

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“Sidewalk” image created by Spell With Flickr

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