The end of a year is always a time for retrospection; the end of a decade, ten times more so. And what a decade it’s been! I’ve written and published over one hundred articles in four publications, got to meet and interview some incredible people, and learned the craft of writing well enough that they pay me for it now (a fact which still surprises me). Some of it was stressful – they’re called deadlines because they kill you – but the difficulty of the work makes it that much more rewarding. I’m always amazed at how it somehow all comes together in the end.
I’m grateful for these last eight years of practice, and know that the decade ahead will see me continue to grow, to learn, to hone and refine my craft still further. There is always something to learn from – every single essay teaches me something, and I don’t think that feeling will ever stop. I hope not.
Whatever the decade ahead holds for you, I hope you’ll find happiness in whatever you do, and meet your goals with gusto. I hope too that you’ll stick around and experience the things I write about with me. A writer is nothing without an audience, and I want to take this opportunity to thank you for being mine.
To close out the twenty-teens, please enjoy my latest article in encore magazine, looking back at our local environment and how it’s changed in the last ten years. Read it here.
Happy New Year. See you in 2020.
John Wolfe 