Don't call it a comeback
Why stories matter and how to tell yours.
Greetings from West Bloomfield—
It has been three months since I last newslettered you all.
So, first, apologies for that extended fallow time. My excuse? Moving from the south end of the country to the north end perhaps took up more time, attention, and energy than I had budgeted!
Second, thank-you. For your patience. And for the many of you who reached out asking where the newsletter and podcasts had gone. On the one hand, those check-ins made me feel warm and fuzzy. Like—wow—the work does matter. On the other, they made me feel guilty. Like—dang—these people invest their time and money in me and I’ve left ‘em hangin’. Get with it, Jason!
Third, routine is for real. The move not only took up literal time, it also exploded all the time-saving routines I had built. I’m a big fan of routines. Not ruts, which are traps, like grooves in the dirt that don’t let your wheels turn. But routines, which are trampolines. They free you. They’re like fine-tuned operating systems humming in the background so you can spend your energy the way you want. My writing/creating routines are reassembling, but even something as simple as walking the dogs in Michigan? Ticks are a thing up here, so part of our new dog-walking routine is giving Gaia and Odin a tick check. They weren’t sure what was up at first, but free fur combing and paw massages after every trot through Bloomer Park? They adapted quickly.
Fourth, I’m choosing to be like spring. I haven’t lived through a real, Midwestern spring since 2012. And I had forgotten how shockingly gorgeous it is. The crisp air, the blooming trees, the vibration in the breeze. My newsletter and podcasts have simply been hibernating these months, I have decided. And as they reemerge, you are going to see some changes, both in form and content. All in the service of stories and truth.
Thanks as always for reading, and have a great week—
Jason “That’s not a tick, it’s just a piece of dirt… I hope” Cannon