• Biggest worry going in was running out of things to write about. Turns out, as with most creative projects, public commitment has an uncanny way of spurring inspiration. New worry is finding time to write about all the things.

• Favorite unexpected benefit has been speeding up the ‘time to meaningful conversation.’ So often when we catch up with a friend or meet someone new, we retrace a worn trail of updates and getting-to-know-yous. Rarely do we venture into the brambly brush that leads to new perspectives, unguarded feelings, and moments of shared vulnerability. The newsletter jumpstarts these meatier conversations, which pick up over coffee, brunch, etc.

• In the internet age, a newsletter is maybe the simplest, the most atomic unit of community. Sustaining that community requires you to a) establish a point of view on the world, and b) put that perspective out there in the hope that others will stay awhile and share their thoughts. One of these things is obviously hard to do, the other less so, but still harder than you think. Practicing both has helped shape a more assured voice in other parts of my life.

• One of the most opinionated and confident people I know told me, “I’m hesitant to put things in writing because it feels like such a permanent commitment. What if I change my mind?” I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes:

Do I contradict myself?

Very well then I contradict myself,

(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

- “Song of Myself,” Walt Whitman