August Newsletter
I was outside the house doing something in the yard the other day when my bad knee started aching.
“I bet you wish you were in your 20s again, don’t you?” said my dear 18-year-old son.
This was two days after my 46th birthday.
I looked up at him and he gave me that smirk that boys do when they feel they are getting one over on their dad. He had intended it as a filial dig, a long-honored tradition with boys, let me tell you (he also reminds me once a week that I’m bald). But, me being me, I always have to take a surface-level comment and drive it to the bottom of the ocean. So, I paused mid rub, and thought about his question for a moment before answering.
“No,” I said, “I don’t want to be in my 20s again. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
And it’s true. It isn’t just a cope as I get older. Sure, my bones ache much more than they used to, and yes, my hair fell out. I’m definitely not as physically spry as I was. But all of that pales compared to the many blessings I have found.
When I was in my early 20s, all I wanted to do was write books. I knew this down in my heart. But for a very long time, this was something I longed to do, but didn’t do. I was full of doubts and fears. I thought my writing sucked. I was afraid of being judged. On and on.
But one of the nice things about being a middle-aged man is that you really stop caring about what people think. You’ve been through so much by this point, dealt with so much hardship and stupidity, that you just don’t care anymore. And that is what finally broke me out of my mental blocks and allowed me to put myself out there. And now that is a journey that in many ways I am just starting on, as new opportunities and possibilities open up.
This past month has been insanely busy for me. I drove up to Kentucky as a guest speaker at the Imaginarium Convention, and discovered a whole new avenue as an author. Previously, I mostly have had just an online presence, but it was really nice to interact with others in person. Since then, I have been getting myself set up to sell my books in person, and I’m looking forward to setting up my author’s table next month at the Necronomicon Convention in Tampa, FL. If you are in the area, come out and say hello! It is a very fun convention focused on fantasy, science fiction, and horror themes. I don’t have my schedule set yet, but I should be a guest speaker at this event as well.
That preparation has kept me quite busy, but I am also preparing to teach my fall classes, which begin less than two weeks away. And then of course there are the many meetings I must attend before the semester begins, which is all part of being an overworked academic.
Somehow, probably through sleep deprivation, I have still found time to work on my Archaios project, mostly on my constructed language, as well as starting a new project where I analyze Frodo’s journey in The Lord of the Rings, which I am releasing as articles on my website. That project will probably turn into a book as well, at some point.
The more we engage with what is most true in us, the more likely we are to find our happiness in life. I’ve found mine, and I hope you find yours as well.
P.S.
I have started a Patreon page. I don’t have any paid memberships or anything like that yet, because I want to think of something that would be worthwhile to subscribers. But if you would like, you can follow me on there for free. One idea that I had was to run a video chat livestream book club discussion with supporters, or doing some analysis of people’s writings, and a few other ideas. We will see what comes of it. But if you are even slightly interested in supporting my work, you can follow me on there for free and decide later. I also have a Facebook page for news updates.
