Intertwined Ironies

Trusting time to tell

After a lifetime of writing-based careers I’ve finally reached a point where I’m free to write about my passions – and be paid – without having to convince an editor the idea is worth time and ink. 

Writers who have never written for conventional publications have no idea what a giddy luxury editorial freedom is. I can follow my curiosity to explore old books on philosophy, wisdom traditions, poetry and essays on the natural world. In today’s niched writing environment, the more esoteric the idea, the better. 

I don’t have to knock the sharp points off a topic to please an editor’s cautious sensibilities about reader appeal. 

Laughing at intertwined ironies

I can spend my days walking, thinking and writing to help readers see Nature differently. Think of it – long, meandering walks on the many nearby wilderness trails with a small notebook in my pocket. And rather than consigning whatever writing comes from that encounter with Nature to a private journal, I can share it with an audience who intentionally signed up for those kinds of thoughts.

What could be better? 

Perhaps the greatest irony is that I’m relying on screen technology to get people away from screens and closer to Nature. My marketing brain knows I have to meet people where they’re at – and shouting from the treetops ain’t gonna work. The challenge will be to convince readers that my words in their palm are comforting, encouraging and a good use of screen time.

Experience sharpens the long-range view

I’ve been on the planet long enough to recognize when the road I'm traveling is rounding a blind curve, dropping into a dip or climbing a steep grade. 

I’ve learned to look for those rare moments – like now – when I’ve reached a view that allows me to look back at just how bumpy the trip has been. When I turn to look forward, I’m awed by the opportunities awaiting me. 

It’s a potent reminder that life is overflowing with abundance hidden in plain sight if I don’t focus on the obstacles. 

Benefits of long preparation

Because humans are creatures of comparison, I can’t help comparing this turning point to my  last personal upheaval 12 years ago: Starting over after job loss and financial decline. But that time I had no option other than to scramble to get a job. I hadn’t developed the online skills and experience I can now put to work for me. 

I vowed then that I’d never be caught flat-footed again. For years I’ve been adding skills and filling knowledge gaps to stay current with the digital marketing and writing environment, so it’s no accident I have everything I need. 

Honestly, right now I’m juggling more resources than I know what to do with. 

Several deeply supportive online communities of peers, writers and creators. Caring teachers, mentors, coaches and accountability partners. Practical training and courses.  

From desperation to wondering

A lifetime of skills, experience and talent to focus on what intrigues me. 

Add to that game-changing online platforms, like Substack, that will allow me to reach more people who can potentially read my work than the three news organizations I wrote for. Plus, the ability to build digital publications and products that can help people reconnect with their life and Nature and unplug from the screen abyss. 

Rather than the desperate questions I struggled with back then, today my mind is filled with excited wonderings: Which path could be mine? How can I help people with my work? Who are my next companions on the journey? Where will I find the stories to write? Who will be reading? 

The uncharted road

While those questions sound positive and matter-of-fact, reaching this inner paradigm shift has not been easy. Years of habitual thinking, assumptions, expectations and ways of working and being in the world are shifting almost overnight.

My writing has always been sheltered under the masthead of news publications or brands. That used to grant writers immediate credibility and a degree of prestige, along with a heavy amount of baggage as a journalist. Still, you weren’t facing the world alone. 

Now I’ve planted my own flag, which is both exhilarating and scary. The gatekeepers are gone. 

The road ahead is very different from the one that brought me here, and one I haven’t traveled before. 

But if not now, when?