Que Sera, Sera

I called my mom on Mother’s Day.

“Happy Mother’s Day!”

“Thank you. What’s new up by you?

“Not a whole lot. Uh, I’m going to see the last in a series of Hitchcock movies for a local film festival tomorrow night.”

“Ooh! Which one? I think I must have seen all of his movies.”

“The Man Who Knew Too Much, with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day.”

“I love that one! Your grandfather took us, your uncles and me, to see it when we were little. I remember. Going to the movies was a special treat, and he wanted to show us the landmarks and sights he saw when he was stationed in Morocco. I remember looking at him and seeing how happy he was we were there.

“I wonder if my brothers remember that. We used to tell stories about when we were kids when we got together. Now I’m afraid we’re going to forget all of them before we write them down.”

Here’s the first one written down, Mom.

Stage Fright?

I’ve been doing a fair amount of writing lately but not very much publishing. The pieces I’ve written are more personal than those I prefer to publish on my blogs. I’m really proud of what I’ve written, and the stories I’ve put together are great, but I’m torn. I want to share what I write, but I just don’t like the idea of sharing much of it on a blog.

It’s not that I’m afraid to publish these pieces in a public place. In fact, over the last few months I actually have published some intensely personal thoughts and shared them on Twitter, ADN, and Facebook. It’s just that what I’ve been writing lately doesn’t really seem to fit a public forum. I don’t want to just release these thoughts and leave them hanging out there. I’m not really an exhibitionist.

I’m a conversationalist.

So I’m starting an email newsletter where I can share what’s happening in my life. I’ll write about work I’m doing, road trips I’m planning, the antics of my pets, my own personal growth, and just about anything else that’s on my mind. Over the last year I’ve seen that I actually have a lot to offer the people in my life. This newsletter is one way to begin reaching out to more people to find new opportunities to share.

It’s publicly available, so anyone can join, but the difference is that the email format allows readers to respond directly to me instead of posting a comment on a website. It also allows me to write directly to human beings that I have a real chance of getting to know. Posting on a blog doesn’t provide that same promise of connection.

I’m constantly looking for new ways to connect with more people and to strengthen existing connections. If you’d like to connect with me, sign up now to begin receiving my newsletter.

Thanks!

Update: I removed the email newsletter signup links.