Two Years of Writing

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I thought I had already written my November article, but I realized last week while I had my morning coffee out on the back porch that November 19th was almost here and thus necessitated an anniversary post.

I really can’t believe it’s been a whole year since my last anniversary already. It feels like I just wrote that one, musing about writing in small, cramped cursive on scraps of paper at a restaurant host stand. I just reread that article again and some things still haven’t changed. I’ve been a bit more consistent with my upload schedule, so far this year I’ve only missed two months. The reason remains the same: I just wasn’t happy with the quality of work I had written. Frankly, whenever I don’t post it just means I didn’t have anything to say. I’m sure we’d all be better off if more people had the restraint to not speak when they shouldn’t.

When I originally started this Substack I had anticipated writing more about religion, education, and politics, which is reflected in my early articles like “Why We Cry at Sunsets”, “What’s the Point of School?”, and “A Revolution Against What?” Writing was really just a way to organize and concretize my thoughts on a matter, and most of my thoughts revolved around those three topics: religion, education, politics. However, starting in February of 2022 I began writing about architecture, urban planning, and city design. This has since become the single most dominant topic in my recent articles, primarily because it is simply what I think about most often these days, and I don’t see signs of that stopping any time soon. Recently I’ve begun fantasizing about founding a new town and what all I’d do differently than what other towns have done. So, expect to see something about that coming in the next few months.

I also want to start writing about food. I cook almost all of my meals and spend an inordinate amount of time watching cooking videos and reading about recipes and techniques. I have many things to say about how people relate to cooking and how good food can make one’s day that much better. Further still, I want to write more about personal agency, that you don’t need permission or an excuse to simply do things. If you like something, try doing or making it yourself, see if you can do it. Experiment for the sake of trying, that’s what I try to do at least.

I hope to have a more varied catalogue of articles in 2024, and maybe next year will be the first time I don’t skip a month or two. Either way, I have greatly enjoyed the past two years of writing and thinking and doing, and I hope you have as well. I hope to keep doing this for as long as I have thoughts to share.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Spencer