Cup of Coffee: Happy New Year!

Hi all.

I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for enduring a somewhat pointlessly tumultuous 2024 as far as the newsletter went. Thank you for enduring the switch from Substack to Beehiiv, thank you for enduring the highly annoying platform that was Beehiiv, and thank you for enduring the switch from it to Ghost. I apologize for the hassles that all entailed but I'm happy that we eventually got where we needed to be and that we did so mostly intact.

I also wanted to thank you all for being a part of this community. So many of you tell me, fairly often, that you appreciate my writing and you appreciate the friendships and conversations you have in the comments and stuff. I love that, obviously, but I don't tell you all enough how thankful I am for your eyes and ears and presence. I don't mean that in terms of the money you pay for your subscriptions. Yeah, that keeps the lights on, the fridge stocked, and the tuition bills paid, but I mean more than that.

Writing this newsletter gives me purpose. That purpose would not be served if there weren't living, breathing, responding people receiving it and giving me feedback, be it good, bad, or indifferent. Journals and diaries don't help you move beyond your initial thoughts by telling you about their experiences and offering insights that might illuminate your own observations. Or by telling you that you're full of shit when necessary. I work alone and I spend a lot of time in my own head. If I just hit "send" each morning and didn't read your comments or get your emails and take what you all have to say to heart, I'd probably be an extremely weird and possibly insane crank by now.

I've only met a small handful of you in person, but you all feel like friends and colleagues. Because of that I never feel completely crazy and I never feel alone. That's pretty damn important as it is, but it's even more important as we head into the next couple of years which, at present, look like they'll be pretty dark.

But let's not worry about that now. Let's just look for the good stuff. And be there for each other. And try, no matter how futile it may seem sometimes, to make the new year better than the last.

Have a great day – and a Happy New Year – everyone.