I already wrote my last post. I published “The End” on April 1, 2019.
@keni was none too pleased with my prank. @jasonleow pulled a similar stunt.
Even in jest, I still wanted to pay tribute to many of the people past and present who made this little corner of the internet home for me for the last 2 years.
A good friend of mine told me he has a newfound appreciation for what it takes to write every day without stopping. He created an Instagram profile and wanted to post one picture every day. He didn’t last long. And in his words, “And that’s just posting a picture, not actually sitting down to write something!” It’s not easy to write every day for this long. Just ask the other members of #Teamstreak who are still here:
@jasonleow
@arcticloon
@efran
@peterdannock
@keni
There are also the people who are no longer on the team but are still here and have certainly made substantial contributions to the community:
@phaidenbauer
@keenencharles
@abrahamkim
@melakovacs
Then there are the people who are gone. [T_he_ camera pans to a path of tiki torches with name tags a la Survivor] Maybe they will come back for one last hurrah before the lights are turned off:
@knight
@valentino
@hum
@craigpetterson
@brianball
@danielmiller
@juliasaxena
@lucjah
@seunoyebode
@santoshguru
@evandancer
None of it would have been possible without our fearless maker @basilesamel to whom we’ll always be grateful.
I know we can export our own articles, but I will miss the ability to see what others wrote. There were so many great posts; I don’t know how I could possibly find them all again. There is one that always stands out in my mind from @haideralmosawi: Your writings matter more than you think. It’s such a great message and so true.
This year we’ve all felt the effects of the pandemic, some more than others. I am grateful to still have a job where I can work from home. I am grateful for my health. I am grateful for the most important people in my life. I am grateful to be able to stay connected to and read about others who are taking Matthew McConaughey’s advice to
Keep on livin’.
I’ve been listening to a song that makes me think about what the word home means to me. The literal interpretation of the song is a romantic relationship, but it could easily extend to friendships and bonds with people I’ve never met.
Can we take the long way home?
‘Cause moments like this are hard to hold on to
I know it’s not easy on your own
When the pieces don’t fit
But that’s all we’ve ever known
It’s all
I’ll be holding on to you
If it’s the last thing that I ever do
ohhhh
Hey! (la la la la la)
You’ll be my only ticket home
Hey! (la la la la la)
I need to feel a heart I know
Hey! (la la la la la)
Soon we will never be alone
Hey! (la la la la la)
You’ll be my only ticket home
Can we take the long way home?
‘Cause moments like this
I had to let them go
Only Ticket Home - Gavin James
After two years, I can definitely say that I’ve transformed my identity. I used to say I was a consultant or a business analyst or I “work in IT” or “healthcare”. Now if someone asks me what I do, my answer is I’m a writer. It’s not my main gig. I’m not even making money with it. Yet. Still, I’ve made it part of my identity.
And what do writers do? They write. Every day.
If you’re a writer too, I hope you will join us at https://writestreak.team developed by @arcticloon or one of the other new platforms soon to be released. If you see the username @brandonwilson, don’t fall for it. That could be Sir Abe masquerading in disguise. Always look for the real one.
Thank you to everyone who has made this place feel like home, no matter where I signed in from.❤️
On December 5, 2018, a road-weary consultant sat down at his MacBook in a hotel room in Baltimore, Maryland. Somehow he found a website called 200wordsaday.com, and he took a leap of faith. 200 words. That’s not so bad. But what to write about? That was pretty funny when Linda had an exaggerated coughing fit after taking a drink. How about cold cough drops?
Stories about life on the road. The chronicle of a journey to better health. Motivational posts (mainly for myself). Summaries of podcasts and books. An attempt to outline my own book. Launching a podcast and newsletter. Connections made and more than a few laughs shared along the way.
Exactly two years later, from the Arizona desert writing his last post here on his iMac, a writer contemplates home.