Over the last several years I have become an avid podcast listener. On one such podcast the presenter mentioned that after listening to him speak for hundreds of hours, his listeners knew him extremely well. This was due to hearing him share his thoughts and opinions as well as having the shared experiences of interviews and books read on the podcast. As this concept circulated in my mind I decided that I wanted a preserved record of my thoughts, experiences, and general persona for my loved ones to have when I am gone. Life is uncertain and nobody is guaranteed to have another day to do the things that they have put off until tomorrow.
I would like to develop a close relationship with my children that will continue into their adulthood. Since one of the ways to build that relationship is to share ideas with each other and elementary school isn't the best time to be burdened with complex ideological issues, I decided to write my thoughts down as they are occurring. I know that as time passes the days run together and weeks turn into months. The complexities of life’s situations tend to fade with time and the emotions (mine anyway) dissipate into a blur. I would like for my children to know that their father is a real person with the same emotions that they are dealing with. Hopefully this will allow me to be more relatable to them and will foster a closer relationship when they are grown. I also think that the practice of coherently formulating ideas will be beneficial in my relationships across the many areas of my life.
I have had this project in mind for quite a while, but for some reason I finally took some action today. I am not 100% sure what I want this to be, but I felt like I need to get started. My intent is to make at least one written post a week for the next year so that I will have 52 posts by this time in 2023. Starting a blog in 2022 feels rather silly so I would like to apologize if any of you are offended. If I could travel back in time to when blogs were cool, I most definitely would do so.
I have also thought about a podcast format, and that may happen someday, but I think writing will be the best medium as this project gets started. I am planning on sharing my thoughts on books that I am reading, life experiences, and lessons learned. I would like to avoid having this website degenerate into an angry commentary on current events, but current events are the formulating elements of daily life and as such cannot be entirely avoided. I would like to avoid becoming preachy or condescending on this site. My intent is to share the lessons I have learned or the thoughts that I have for the benefit of others rather than for my own self-glorification.
This is the second coming of philsturm.com, which I first started back in 2016. I think I only had 2-3 posts on it back then and I didn’t save any of the content. Thinking back on the small number of posts, they weren’t very good, and it is probably a good thing that they vanished into the ethos. I wish that I had kept up with practicing writing as everything I have heard is that practice is key to becoming a better writer. Thinking about that original website prompted me to try again and, thankfully, the domain was still available. There is a small part of me that is interested in preserving my online presence as a fallback if anything should happen to my current employment, but I am not sure if this site would be a benefit or detriment to my future. I suppose I can rest peacefully knowing that philsturm.com is safe from the hands of a miscreant who could use it for evil. I would prefer to avoid becoming overly brand conscious as I would likely annoy myself, and everyone else, to death.
I feel slightly nervous about putting myself in the public view as I have been without social media for the last 8 years. I also don’t want to become overly image-conscious and would like for this site to remain as open and honest as possible. This may cause some issues with work, but it will be a work-in-progress to find the proper balance of honesty and discretion. Although I started a Twitter and Instagram account, I would like to avoid the trap of social media and keep it from consuming my life. I have enjoyed the freedom that I have found in not having a social media presence, so I need to be careful to avoid the mindless scrolling for my own sake. During the past year I have felt like I need to be more intentional about opening myself up to other people. I tend to keep to myself and wait to reveal my true thoughts to someone until after I have gotten to know them. I know that a proper balance is necessary, but I feel as if I need to be more forthcoming in getting to know other people for my own benefit.
So welcome aboard as we start this journey together. Here is a poem by William Butler Yeats that sums up my hopes and fears:
He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
Had I the heaven's embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams
-W.B. Yeats
All I can give you are my dreams, the innermost thoughts of my being. Be patient with me and tread softly. Any feedback you can give is greatly appreciated.
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