Hello and thank you for joining me. I have trouble sometimes with the execution of my own ideas (exemplified by the fact that this blog has existed since 2019 with two whole posts to show for it). I tend to get excited by an idea’s potential, bask in how shiny it could be, and then quickly move onto something else.
That said, I want to be different in 2024. I have a few plans already in the works and I want to use my time wisely. I also want to get better at grounding myself, making sure that I keep my head on my shoulders and my body on the earth. To do that, I’m going to challenge myself, and I hope you (the void, this blog, my few friends in the audience, hi mom) will help hold me accountable.
At the end of every week in 2024, I’m hoping to put together a 600-ish word reflection of the seven days prior. I want to think through my feelings, my struggles, my success, my failures… all of it. I hope to use this space to document the year and serve as a reminder at the end of the week that hey -- it’s been another week.
A misty midwest day, Dec. 2023
So let’s jump in.
During the last week I went home and visited my family. I hadn’t seen them since August, and I found the whole week to be, in a word, restorative.
We took long walks; I chatted with everyone during car rides, while playing games, and late at night. It was easy, natural to not worry about what was coming next. A calm settled over me like a blanket. I’m fortunate to know that if all else fails, I will have my family to turn to, and they won’t turn me away. That reliability is not guaranteed in this world, and it’s definitely something I appreciated with open eyes this past week.
The other little piece that wormed its way into my mind was the Scott Pilgrim comics. During some Christmas or birthday, I received the whole comic book collection in three massive books.
Last week I sat down and tore through the whole series. It took me about four days of sitting on the couch while my family and life went on around me. The series, for those unfamiliar, is about a 23-year-old man who gets into a relationship and has to video-game-style battle his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes. It’s a ridiculous combination of slice-of-life, urban fantasy, and speculative fiction.
It’s hilarious and highly entertaining, but the simple thought I took away surprised me. The titular character, Scott Pilgrim, is not a good person. The narrative explicitly says so. He is a bad person. Despite this fact, he has a host of friends who care about him, a number of people who continue to invite him to parties, a social life, and -- against all odds -- a girlfriend.
There was something weirdly comforting about this. If Scott Pilgrim can be a bad person,continue to mess up, and still have people standing behind him…I suspect that I (who am not a bad person*) can rely on my own support system. A lesson reinforced by the good company and relaxing time I spent at home.
Anyway, get out and walk and tell the people you love that you love them. You can never say it too much.
Until next time.
*Peer Reviewed by Those I Trust
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