Enjoy the moment. Endure the inconvenience. As Tom Hanks wisely repeats in the attached video. This, too, shall pass.
I wrote my first blog post on this website on September 26, 2004. As I look over the database, I see 1,011 essays and observations in the twenty years since.
We’ve discussed a wide range of issues, from the serious to the silly, from the ridiculous to the sublime. I’ve been grateful to those of you who have written to encourage me to continue the weekly exercise of thinking and writing about life’s complexities.
I’ve written about what I’ve learned from the process, shared the ups and downs of the adventure, and generally tried to leave you feeling a little better about this brief time in the sun… and how we are all in this together.
The events of the last four years have tested many of us. I’ve never been more afraid for the future and for the world we are leaving our children. It’s become increasingly challenging to write meaningful essays I feel are worth your time… especially when there are so many other thoughtful people out there who do it much better.
So, let’s put this to bed.
There are several books out there curated from this website. You can find them on Amazon.
Over the coming months, I intend to shut down ScottWesterman.com and leave the pontification to those smarter and younger voices who will ultimately carry the torch forward.
Whether I will continue to write fiction under the Terry Shepherd identity is still an open question. It’s given me a new world of friends and colleagues and I’ve learned a ton. But the return on investment is still intrinsic and It’s not feeling like it’s worth the all-encompassing effort essential to building a successful literary brand. Time will tell.
I believe the ultimate mission each of us has is to alleviate someone else’s suffering, to do thousands of small things that can roll up to big positive changes in a world that sorely needs support.
If you’ve taken one thing away from our weekly time together, I hope it’s this: Kindness is the highest form of wisdom. Perform random acts when you can, where you can. They won’t always generate the outcomes you hope for. But some will. Maybe one will become the basis for the positive change we hope for in the world.
And that makes all the difference. The rest? This too, shall pass.
