13 Jan, 2021 – Oakland, CA
I’ve had a feeling lately that I have been struggling to articulate. I still don’t think I can do so with perfect fidelity, but not trying to is starting to make me tired and distracted. So here it is: writing every day for the sake of writing every day feels like a fool’s errand.
In 1897, Adolph S. Ochs, the owner of The New York Times, created the famous slogan “All the News That’s Fit to Print,” which still appears on the masthead of the newspaper today. He wrote the slogan as a declaration of the newspaper’s intention to report the news impartially. [reference]
From this point forth I will swap writing *something* every day for writing often enough to keep track of and to convey my thoughts, struggles, and accomplishments in a more sustainable and impartial manner.
We are less that two weeks in and I realize that digesting experiences for a day or so helps one see and explain them more clearly. Things that seemed mind-blowing fade into a more mundane “cool” territory. Things that seemed insignificant become less so as I knead them in my mind over time. Chew on that if it strikes you. Otherwise – for clarity – here is the Exec Summary:
- I’ll only write when there is something worth reporting
- I’ll continue to keep track of and report slack-days with each post
- You, dear reader, and I, will take more from this journey in less time and fewer words
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Airman’s Odyssey
P.S. I found that last quote in FWW #286