Good evening and greetings from Ohio,
It was a short, packed trip this weekend — filled with love, motorcycles, and (probably too much) beer.
If I were to deduce the past 72 hours into a single word, it would be nostalgic.
The green grass, crisp air, and shining sun paired with a touch of gray, cold rain.
$2 drip coffees paired with $2-10 beers.
Conversations with old-new1 friends in old-new places.
It’s a strange feeling coming back to a place you once knew so intimately; to return.
I’ve been getting hit with this nostaligic feeling more and more. I think it hits harder and harder due to the in-your-face realization that time continues to pass, even when you are not there.
I wish I had more time to write about this feeling. But I know I need to be where my feet are. In the moment and in the experience, rather than transcribing the abstract, yet obvious, on this screen.
I hope to be able to write more deeply about this experience soon. (also a theme/recurring line in these intros - lol)
Until then, I will make note and return.
There is no overarching theme for this week’s newsletter, but alluded to in the above subtitle, here are a few of the best pieces of writing I have recently consumed. (Due to my time, bandwidth constraints, this NL will have less notes + commentary from yours truly).
I hope you enjoy.
on making your soul grow
h/t
for sharing this one — if you want more good writing, I recommend the following piece by him:
on writing drama
This one is for my screen writer/film friends…but even if you don’t like writing, it’s both funny and insightful.
QUESTION: WHAT IS DRAMA?
DRAMA, AGAIN, IS THE QUEST OF THE HERO TO OVERCOME THOSE THINGS WHICH PREVENT HIM FROM ACHIEVING A SPECIFIC, ACUTE GOAL.
SO: WE, THE WRITERS, MUST ASK OURSELVES OF EVERY SCENE THESE THREE QUESTIONS.
1) WHO WANTS WHAT?
2) WHAT HAPPENS IF [THEY] DON'T GET IT?
3) WHY NOW?THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS ARE LITMUS PAPER. APPLY THEM, AND THEIR ANSWER WILL TELL YOU IF THE SCENE IS DRAMATIC OR NOT. IF THE SCENE IS NOT DRAMATICALLY WRITTEN, IT WILL NOT BE DRAMATICALLY ACTED.
IF YOU PRETEND THE CHARACTERS CANT SPEAK, AND WRITE A SILENT MOVIE, YOU WILL BE WRITING GREAT DRAMA.
a fantastic pairing — on finding, and losing, yourself
These were my two favorite reads of the past week. Worth your time.
on sustaining love
Maybe it had to do with the wedding weekend and love being in the air… but this piece hit
At the very least, I recommend checking out the Mountain Dew LOVE POEM (/commercial) at the end of the post
here’s to finding, and sustaining, love!
(h/t to
for linking off to this in the latest NL!)quotes i’m pondering
"Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become."
—James Clear
"If we aren’t willing to admit to ourselves that we don’t know something, we can never learn to know it."
—Annie Duke
I met a guy named Kevin on my Southwest flight to Ohio from Austin. We hit it off and got very deep very quick. Again, one day, I plan to write a standalone blog post about this interaction — but we talked most of the flight and he shared with me his two favorite authors, James Clear and Annie Duke — as well as his plans to quit his job of 25 years…the following morning.
After looking around to see if there were any coworkers on his flight, he says to me, “No one at my company knows but you, Anthony…in 13D.”
We dove into his career journey, life, and the impetus behind the feeling of a need for change. We got into his fears of the unknown, of losing status, salary, security — for not only himself, but his wife and two children.
The punchline?
His future self would regret not trying something new.
Kevin inspired me. And we plan to check-in 12 months from now to test this hypothesis.
As always, if you’ve made it this far, thank you.
If you have any questions, comments, or ways I can improve this newsletter, please comment/reply!
Lastly, if you enjoyed or I made you think today — please consider letting me know by leaving a like. (This helps others find this newsletter…and it makes me smile :)
ML,
midwest ant
(p.s. - for my below-the-fold club: a movie recommendation!
I don’t watch a ton of movies — but this kinda kids drama/romance/emotional movie GOT ME…I laughed, I learned, and I cried (a lot).
If you like John Green or want to learn more about what it’s like to live with OCD, I could not recommend this enough.
(h/t Mitchell M. for the rec!!)
(p.s.s. - shout out to those who have added to the shared playlist :)
(p.s.s.s - I still have ~15min to midnight in CST to release this NL - it’s Sunday somewhere! /shrug)
this is a reference to the reference in the below-the-fold club section
Can't wait for the Kevin episode of the NL. I had a similar interaction on a flight on the first of this year with a guy named Rusty. He taught me a lot about joy. At one point he'd lost everything - his job, a kid (to addiction), his family as a result, and eventually his will to live. But he found his joy again through the kindness of others - starting with a single random act of neighborliness.
He had this deep, sincere gratitude - one that I think can only be earned through hardship.
I still think about Rusty. He was on his way to Florida from WI to be with some old friends. I gave him a hug when we parted ways.