“I don’t know what I think ’til I read what I wrote” Dan, January 1, 2025.
“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” Flannery O’Connor, in a letter to her literary agent. (Similar versions are attributed to dozens of other writers over the years. So add me to the list.)
Dear Fellow Hikers,
I intended to take this week off from writing. I even wrote in the postscript of my most recent letter that my next one would post on 01/10/25. Yet here I am… back at it. I’m pretty sure that my pursuit of getting my (writer’s) trail legs* is partly to blame. But I also felt that my gut was telling me to keep my ministry presence consistent and visible in these early days of my aspiring writer journey.
Initially I intended it to be a light letter, something short and hopeful for the new year. I went through the recent letters I wrote and posted, exploring what I may be thinking these days. As I was reading I realized that the answers were not in what I wrote, as much as in what I didn’t write. As I pondered a bit deeper, I realized there were some frequent thoughts I’ve been having that had not made it to print. I hadn’t figured out how and when I should write them. That’s when I decided to launch this message as my first *Wanderings… letter.
I started this letter a couple days before January 1, 2025 and I’m finishing and posting it a few days later. I started from a light place… and I’m finishing in a place much darker… and the New Orleans chaos brought me there… but as I first wrote the words I’ve been wanting to share… I’ve felt the light returning… and those words that I wanted to share became words I needed to share…
And with that said, I’ll let these words speak for themselves…
I Believe that…
God’s will… is for us to authentically live the life… that we were created to live.
and
Life lived with God… is better.
With Care and Gratitude, Dan
Postscript…
Re: *Trail Legs…Long-distance hikers often talk about getting their trail legs, the superhero-like state where their leg muscles adapt to the callousing daily mileage and recover in time to rinse and repeat each day… Backpacker Online
Re: *Wanderings… This is my first Wanderings Letter… It can be considered an extra letter, one not previously scheduled, a letter inspired for a variety of reasons, often caused by a current event dominating the news. Or it simply comes from my gut telling me to write something extra…
Up Next: “Thoughts on the New Year” (Friday 01/10/25, S1/L6)