Daily Writing vs Daily Posting

Professors Gavoor and Farruggia

     My colleague and good friend Professor Gianfranco Farruggia sent me a text earlier this week commenting that he had not seen a This Side of Fifty post for a few days. “I thought your resolution was to write every day! Let’s get on it.” This is why he is a good friend. He has my back and is urging me to stick to my resolution and I appreciate greatly. He finished with, “Do you need some material?”
     Let’s start with the first question. I did make a resolution to write every day. I did not make a resolution to blog what I write everyday. My resolution was in fact to write a minimum of 500 words a day. Those that I deemed interesting enough, I will post here. The remainder will stay in my notebook or hard-drive.
     My resolution was to resume an old habit that I have let lag the past few years. From June 25, 2002, my 49th birthday, until a few years ago, I wrote a page every day. The intent was to have a really engaging, very funny, and full insight autobiographical book ready to go by my 50th birthday. I had illusions of being the toast of my generation having written a handbook on crossing the mid-century mark. I envisioned myself being a frequent guest on Oprah and Letterman.
     Well that didn’t happen. While I wrote dutifully every day, sometimes at dawn, on the train or an airplane, or just before turning in, I quickly came to the realization that my writing was less engaging, way less funny, and lacking the insight I had wanted. In fact, much of it was self-indulgent, introspective, um…, how do I put this? Ah yes, whiney. I was bored reading some of the drivel I wrote.
     I had to decide what to do with all of this writing. I started distributing a monthly e-Letter to friends and family. The first e-Letter, February 2004, which is now on this blog explains how the idea of an e-Letter came about. Throughout a month of daily writing, a topic would emerge, which I would then craft into the monthly e-Letter. Another good friend Marilyn Davidow named the letter and this blog which evolved from it: The Other Side of Fifty.
     So... my intent this year was to take up the habit of daily writing but not necessarily daily blogging.
     As for the second question: Do I need material? I would say that material is all around me. If indeed I do write everyday, there is no shortage of material. Topics pop up in the news, in conversations, in the sweet, mean, or humorous things I see people do.  Topics are everywhere if I am looking for them.  For example, Gian’s text provided the topics for today’s bit of writing. I could have all written about President Trump’s use of the word shithole. I need to write about Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID). I will probably write about both over this long weekend and if they meet whatever standard it is I am using for blog-worthiness, I will post them.
     Thanks for checking up on my Gian! I appreciate it.