Around the middle of last year, all I had was a draft of an unfinished essay. I wanted to finish it, build my own website, and publish it in a month. But I did not. After a few months, a touching incident happened during my vacation that left me with a strong urge to record and share. That, I did. By December, I published it on Medium. In January of this year, I created my own website and published that same memoir as my first record.
Throughout my life, I have loved engaging in deep conversations with people I meet, sparking reactions that range from anger and pity to genuine appreciation. It may be that I started writing so I could invite those same reactions from a wider circle. I don’t know. But it was something I always wanted to begin, and now it has become a passionate new part of my life.
Whenever something moves me and I think that recording my thoughts around it can add value for others, I create a blank document with a working title. I still have a bunch of empty files with just headings. A couple are half-written. One is close to the finish line. It is like growing a garden.
But I am genuinely glad that the plants that did grow have resonated with people. Over the past ten months, my posts have gathered fifty thousand views. Around twenty-seven thousand in just the last three months alone.
I just want to thank everyone who has read my work and encouraged me, whether through messages or in person. I don’t write just for myself. As long as I know that even one other person might read my words, I will keep writing.
Cheers!
-sAb
(OFF-THE-RECORD 002)