February 20, 2009 is the day I started Powodzenia’s Blog. “Focus Like an Independence Day Sparkler,” was the title of that first entry. It was brief and clumsy. It was sprinkled with mild neediness and confusion. I remember the day I wrote it thinking, “How do I start? And even if I do, who the hell is going to want to read this?” Today, with 50,000 visits to my site, I have the answer.

I could write until my fingers fall off, but if no one read my work, it would simply be a personal journal. That has not been the case. My readers, friends, family, and strangers, have visited my site 50,000 times as of today. Two years, ten months, and nine days, it has taken to see this number roll over. By the standards of major blog writers, this is a drop in the bucket; a day’s number of hits. That’s great for them. This is great for me.

My 256 blog posts have been picked up by NBA.com, StumbleUpon, politicians, comedians, and businesses. They have been linked to, cited, quoted, and copied. One day, on May 9, 2010, I had 914 hits. That was shortly after I wrote, “A Child’s Voice.” That month alone, I saw 7,711 people visit my site. The post that has been visited more than any other, with 2,921 visits, has been “Governor Schwartzenothing” that I wrote on August 18, 2009. This piece foreshadowed the disastrous results of that particular budget on California. All in all, I couldn’t be happier with the level of success I have with my little corner of the blogosphere!

Just like an automobile odometer or watching the ball drop in Times Square, the landmark really isn’t a landmark at all. It is part of a continuum that will move forward long after this moment is lost to history. I suppose it means something special only to me and those closest to me who understand how hard it was to write that first blog.

As one who spends his career helping others find their voices, I was challenged in trusting my own. Now, however, that has all changed. I have my blog and it has its own Facebook page. I love that. Fewer than 20 people populate Powodzenia’s Blog on Facebook, but that’s fine with me. Those who do are genuinely interested in reading my work. I have worked very hard to ensure that each piece is as thoughtfully constructed and well written as I can offer because I value those of you who read my blogs.

So, thank you, dear readers, for this truly amazing gift of 50,000 visits. I am honored and humbled by your willingness to spend time with my words, and by extension me! This truly is a site that has my heart and spirit and life permeating its paragraphs. You have each been a gift from God to me, and for that I am overwhelmingly grateful!

May blessings of untold abundance be yours always!

James C. Glica-Hernandez

a.k.a. Powodzenia