One Year Anniversary

Photo taken by me in October 2022 at the NC State Fair

This week marks one year since I created this Substack and wrote my Welcome post. Here are a few reflections on this past year and a few questions for you, my reader.

1.      I didn’t expect the discipline of regular writing for a deadline to be problem. After all, I’ve done it before. For years I wrote weekly sermons for the coming Sunday and they were usually done two or three days prior. Similar to my sermon planning, I also plan out my themes a couple months in advance for this newsletter. However, I’ve been surprised how often I’ve been finishing up on Tuesday night in order to schedule the post to be delivered Wednesday morning. I might need to set my mental deadline for a couple days prior instead of the night before, LOL.

2.      I’ve heard from other writers that it’s hard to predict what will “go viral,” or get more widely shared. Likewise, I never would have guessed that my post about what my infusion is like would have received 510 “email opens,” far more than any other post.

3.      I have also long heard that “the first rule of the internet is never read the comments.” However, when you’re the owner of the post, you have to read them in order to moderate them and delete the inappropriate ones. A couple weeks ago I decided to boost a post on social media and the haters came out swinging. I even pinned a top comment that “If this post does not jive with spirituality, then please just move on. Unkind comments will be deleted” But that STILL didn’t detract people from commenting hatefully! It will probably be a long time until I boost a post again. So, if what you read is meaningful to you, please share it.

4.      I LOVE when y’all write me messages. Most of you send me emails instead of publicly commenting, which is perfectly okay. I wonder if many of y’all are introverts, like me, and so more inclined to write a one-on-one message instead of on a visible comment board. Either way, thank you so much for the encouragement and sharing how meaningful my writing is to you. Please continue doing it! 😊

5.      On a related note, I’d love to hear from y’all more. Are there themes you wish I would write about, or that I’ve done before but expand upon some more? Does the format of a weekly email work or would you prefer a different form? If I learned how to start a podcast, would you listen?

6.      The reason I missed a weekly post for the first time last week is because I sustained a concussion three weeks ago. It is my fourth concussion over all. Recovery is slow and involves limiting my screen time and overall cognitive load (in other words, if I think too hard, my head hurts, LOL). Please keep me in your prayers as I heal.

Thank you for joining me on this journey the past year. I look forward to the year ahead!