Finally Joining the Cool Kids on Substack

Welcome to my Substack, which is a combination of my thoughts, experiences and attempts to capture moments of awe.

For most of my life, I was a disgustingly positive person — so much so that my sister often accused me of seeing the world through “rose-colored glasses.” But that changed in 2016.

Like so many of my friends, I spent much of 2017 in a state of bewilderment, confusion, and depression. The world I thought I knew didn’t seem to exist, and it caused me a great deal of sadness.

As a way to cope with the ongoing hatred and angry discourse in the U.S., a close friend suggested that I keep a journal during 2017. Here’s the thing – I’ve never kept a journal. I remember having diaries when I was in elementary and junior high school, but I never wrote in them for very long. It’s not that I don’t like to write – my undergraduate degree is in journalism, and I spent some time as a part-time sports reporter when I was finishing my undergrad degree.

During my career, I’ve written several articles for public health journals, so it’s not that I don’t like to write. In fact, completing an article is one of the most satisfying aspects of my job. But I never felt like I had the desire or discipline to write in a journal for an extended period of time. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. I agreed with my friend that spending some time in reflection and journaling might help me make sense of the chaos our country was experiencing.

So, I started putting my thoughts and feelings on paper (actually on my computer, but that’s just semantics). Week after week, as each new horror and atrocity occurred, my writing helped me overcome my depression and strengthened my resolve to work to change the things that are in my sphere of influence.

The journaling led to me creating a blog and website in 2018.

Now, I’m finally joining the Substack crowd.