Well whaddya know? Coincidentally enough, last October 26th I decided to put it out there, sent my maiden missive, and The Pedestrian Pundit was born. One year later and here I am, writing on October 26th again, my 57th piece. I also have 57 subscribers…so I guess I should go play The Numbers Game or some other lottery game where I can pick 57 as a lucky number.
(Oh, and for those of you confused by the math and how a weekly newsletter can be issued 57 times in a 52-week year (as I was), here’s why: when I was first getting going I wrote five days in one week to “showcase” how the rotating daily schedule would work.)
Anyway, here’s a peek at the last year, by some of the numbers:
FWIW, 1216.9 miles would get me from home to Disney World with a few miles to spare for the unexpected detour. And the “recorded miles” piece is important because that total excludes miles when I was “just” out and about, not doing a dedicated walking workout. So, yeah…lots of miles…lots of thinking…lots of thoughts…still not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. But it’s definitely a thing.
TBH, I’m stunned that it’s been a year already. I often talk about time and the impact of COVID conditions on how I process its passage…essentially it’s a matter of one day after the other feeling like time is flying by yet some moments feeling encased in concrete. And so it goes.
Speaking of COVID, I’ll come clean about my seven shots (not seven discrete vaccinations), because I know it’s killing you:
2 COVID, one J&J base and one Moderna booster
1 Hepatitis A, since I already had one the doc was like “just get the other and never worry about it again:
2 SHINGRIX, for shingles (which suck) but the after-effects of these shots reeeeeeeeeealllllllllly hurt (my poor arm)…but even so shingles are worse (especially on your face, as mine were…just lovely!)
1 pneumonia, because I’m old
1 flu shot, because why not?
So, yeah, that’s my vaccination inventory for the last year.
Anyhoo…the theme of Tuesdays is “transformation” so it makes sense to think about what the last year has meant for me…you get glimpses of that each week (and so do I) but it’s always nice to take a few steps back and view what’s happening in a larger and broader context…something I don’t do as often as I should.
Take last weekend, for example. I was home alone…which gave me an interesting perspective on aloneness. You might think with all the together time I’d be happy for alone time. Which I was. Kind of. It made me think a lot about when I was alone all the time and not so much by choice as by circumstance. I reflected on my journey and the work I’ve done over time…in the end, as it turned out I indeed was happy with my alone time, but I was also happy to have someone awesome to be missing. (And that someone awesome won her hockey tournament.)
So when I realize that it’s been a year of The Pedestrian Pundit, I have occasion to take that giant step back and think about the last year…and my thoughts aren’t dominated by what was bad about it but rather by what was good about it. For me, the pandemic has served to scrape away most (though not all) of the ugly and calloused edges of life, helping me find perspective from perches of any height or when I feel like I’m flat on my back in a cold, muddy ditch. When I look back on the last year, it’s not unlike that feeling I get when I watch the sunset with my mom in Florida—it’s positively gorgeous, the sauvignon blanc is perfectly chilled, and we’ll go home and go to sleep content, hopeful about the sun rising tomorrow. There are so many things we don’t have control over, and so many things over which we do. For me, the past year has been about making good choices—making thoughtful decisions that help me enrich my life experiences, to (try to) become a better person.
And yes, when I look back over the year, I am glad I committed to this writing experiment. It’s been a lot of fun for me, which was the main reason I started in the first place. I wish I had more time for writing every week but I think given my other obligations, this is a good fit—and I think that mainly because it still feels like fun and not an obligation.
I think my positive experience over the last year comes down to one thing…the amazing people I have in my life. And that includes you. I’ve said this before but the side conversations that have sprung from this experiment alone have made every word worth it. I thank each of you for your support and commitment, and I remain open to any and all thoughts, feedback, topic suggestions, or anything, really.
Hope you have a great week, despite the fact that it’s Tuesday. And here it’s a rainy one. There really isn’t anything great to say about Tuesdays, I don’t think. Or is there? If you know of anything, hit me in the comments.
P.S. As temperatures drop and Summer gives way to Fall, I know many people opt in to an informal “How Long Can I Go Without Turning on the Heat” contest. My advice? Don’t. The difference between a 68° house and a 63° house is more than 5°…it’s comfort, and you’re worth it. Turn the heat on. Don’t be a hero. And have a great week.
Congrats on a year! We don't play the heat game. It's been on several times already.
I so enjoy your musings and apparently I've enjoyed them for a year! What? Congrats! And for the love of god watch Ted Lasso. I do not think you'll be disappointed and he's a dude that would love your blog.