A Modern Way To Write A Letter

Sometimes the blog posts here and elsewhere can be viewed as a modern way to write a letter.

That begs the question of whether you could consider it a vehicle to have Conversations Through Writing.

If the post generates comments, emails or a verbal dialogue than a description like conversation through writing isn’t far off.

But if none of that takes place it is not a conversation, it is place where you share thoughts and ideas.

For example there was no response to Ten Years Later, a small one to Riding Silverman and large responses to The Advantage Of Being Part of Generation X and The Things/People We Ignore.

If you asked me to provide an analysis of why some resonated more deeply than others and what I thought about the content/writing in each I might shrug my shoulders.

Some of the posts that I feel best about similar to the book buried in the bottom corner of the library that no one ever visits.

They sit there waiting to be discovered and enjoyed but the likelihood of that happening is low.

And then there are others that I don’t think offer the best example of my writing but they generate the biggest impact.

Press harder and I might dig into when they were written and try to identify if they came out pre-Twitter and Facebook or early on when it was easier to get a ton of readers than now.

But mostly I would shrug my shoulders.

It is a personal blog, I don’t have to get deep in analytics unless I want to.

Who Do You Trust With Your Life?

The younger Mr. Wilner and I sit at the dining room table where I share a variety of Springsteen songs with him. He asks what he is supposed to get out of it and I smile.

The man has to be up at 4 AM for work so his patience is limited. I tell him we’re going to go deeper on this on a different date but dig into some of it with him.

I tell him some of this is tied into a basic question of “who do you trust with your life” and when life is hard “who do you go looking for.”

“Who do you lean on when you need someone to help get you through a hard moment.”

I tell him it is not a question that requires an answer to be given to me. “It is more of a personal thing and it might evolve over time. It is important to have at least one person you can trust with the important stuff. It is tied to compatibility, who can you spend hours with and not worry about wanting to kill them from boredom or irritation.”

He nods his head and we go back and forth about a few more things and he excuses himself so he can go get prepared.

As he walks away he asks why I am staring and I tell him if he ever becomes a father he’ll appreciate it. I don’t mention that sometimes I am fascinated watching him solve certain puzzles.

The approach he takes is often quite different from where I start and frequently faster at getting a correct answer. I don’t always follow how he does it but he can’t always follow how easily I can put words upon a page.

So I see it as being part of his gift and am grateful to see it in action. Kid is clearly smarter than me as is my daughter and  I haven’t any issue with that.

It Is Not Loud Yet, But It Is Coming

“You’re getting kind of loud, maybe you want to quiet down a bit.”

Those aren’t the exact words that were used but they are close enough to pass along the general intent.

So is that subhead, it is not loud yet, but it is coming. I didn’t tell them the progressive increase in volume may jump far faster than they expect it to.

I didn’t tell them I have already mapped out a process and time frame for the increase and simply said I know how to get attention.

“I don’t know that I like the sound of that.”

“I don’t know that you ought to be worried. I don’t like being forced into corners, boxes or situations in which people try to remove my ability to influence them.

If you try to dissuade me by forcing me to swim upstream don’t be surprised if I hit the shore of the river and hike alongside it.

****

Put up a significant chunk of weight at the gym today. Hadn’t anticipated doing so nor planned on trying to.

Been more focused on building functional strength than vanity lifting but got a wild hair and went with it.

Only did one rep and practically jumped off of the bench with excitement because it was easier than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised.

Took a moment to think about it and remembered that I have actually been working on this since October. Realized that consistent action can lead to positive results.

That is applicable to all things in life, the personal, the professional, friendly and intimate.