A thank you

We are now a little over four months into this project and I wanted to do a little reflecting on how this has been going. I don’t believe I ever officially announced this part, but my goal is to post six entries a week. I say it like this because although I want to be writing six days a week, this will cut me some slack in case of a major emergency or I accidentally get carried away with something and forget. In no way do I want to make this an excuse to slack off and neglect my project at all. I just find I work better when I take some of the pressure off. 

So a post a day, every day but sunday. I figured I would need one day to punch that reset button and get refocused. So far, that has been pretty spot on. Even though my process doesn’t take forever, it is helpful to not overdo it in any one area. I have to come up with ideas, flesh them out, come back and edit them, then reach out to a few people for feedback. I think I have a good rhythm going at this point and I’m very happy with how well-oiled this machine is.

I want to start this off by saying a big “thank you” to everyone that has been involved so far. This thing hit the ground running and I am as floored as some of y’all seem about how well this is going. I have never had any doubt about my ability to write, but some of the comments I have been getting have left me speechless (side note, if you sent me some kind words and got a response you felt was generic, it’s because I sat there speechless and unsure what to really say. This has been as much of a ride for me as it has been for you.) 

One of the other highlights for me has been my passion for action. As funny as it may sound, I don’t like blind poetics. I respect all styles of writing, but for me, personally, everything must be centered around action. As I have developed my call to action and worked on how to keep everything focused on doing, I have often solved my own problems as I write about them. I’m reminded of a line from one of Phil Collins songs for the Tarzan soundtrack. “In teaching you will learn.” How true that has been for me this year! As I have pushed myself to be conclusive and make this about more than public venting, the pages have written me as much as I have written them!

When I first started, I felt the need to have an entire post mapped out before my fingers hit the keyboard. But as I have grown, I have begun to learn that I don’t have to start with a perfect plan, but I still have to finish as a conqueror. As I have mentioned in previous entries, a decisive conclusion and a manageable takeaway are the demands I make of myself here in my keep, and that has been what has made the writing experience so powerful. It is what has shaped me as I shape these posts. Wow, what a time this has been! 

And it has also been an adventure to see how you guys react to what I post. Sometimes a post will seem like no biggie to me, then it turns into a smash-hit! Other times I’m convinced I will catch some crap for something I said, and it is received with welcoming smiles. Other times I feel like I have really stuck the landing, only to get no attention at all! But don’t feel bad, I have no right to be mad at how things have or haven’t been received. That’s just part of the adventure of it all! What I am trying to say is it has been such a fun adventure to see how y’all naturally react to everything. From popular posting times to the topics y’all want to hear about, every step of this has been something new and exciting and I want to continue to say thank you to every person that has played a part in it. 

It has also been fun for those that have known me from my early childhood. I have always had a hard time getting some of my ideas out of my head and sometimes they need time to tumble around before they make sense, even  to me! I’m so glad God has been able to use this to bring about this reconciliation. I’m glad that some of those clarifications have been able to happen and that tensions could be resolved. What peace this has brought everyone!

But on more than one occasion, I have felt something new and unique burst out of me. Posts like “reflections of a generation,” have left me feeling like nothing more than a messenger boy. Sometimes I am writing posts to a target audience and it is noticed by someone else entirely. Other times, someone gives me feedback that leaves me saying “that’s wild, I had never thought about it like that!” Whatever comes out of them, it is a reminder of one thing, and one thing alone: God is here. God has set me up for this project and He has big plans for both me and you through it. Specifically in posts like those, as they sit in my drive waiting to go live, I know to brace myself because something is going to happen when it’s published. I am really excited to see where the rest of this year takes us and what kinds of growth we will find together. Thank you all once again for your support in the start of this project. I couldn’t have imagined a better reception as I came out this gate. Pat yourself on the back, because your encouraging words have helped make this happen. 

I’m going to forego the action steps for today. It doesn’t seem like a “thank you” post needs one. If anything, my only action step will be to celebrate yourself and the part you have played in making this whole thing happen. A kind word costs little to give, but I may not have even taken up this project if I hadn’t been told that I had a writing talent in the first place. Even if I had, I may not have had the fuel to keep it going past the “new year’s resolution” phase we all go through. Pat yourself on the back and accept my gratitude for getting me this far, and being God’s hands and feet in confirming that this is His blessed project. I look forward to wherever the rest of this year takes us and can’t wait for y’all to see some of the other stuff I have planned.

Until next time

Cheers!