The Deep End.

Introductions, unrelated facts, and other such chitchat.

We are here.

I’m here because I recently shared a rather personal essay about my experiences with an eating disorder over on Steph March’s truly excellent Pickle Substack page and figured I might as well jump into the deep end and put my other thoughts on my own site. (Really, though, subscribe to Pickle. It’s a delight.)

I’m also here because I love to write. It’s the most true way I can express myself and has been my primary choice of communication — letters, emails, notes, articles, texts — since I can remember. When I was younger, I’d leave “I’m sorry” notes under my parents’ door for my mom to find after big fights or misunderstandings. I’ve made my career as a writer. I am about half as effective when I try to say something out loud as when I write it, so, why wouldn’t I just write it? Exactly.

Why you’re here is your business. Maybe you saw that aforementioned post on Pickle. Maybe you’ve read previous overly personal articles I’ve written in the past (see: “When Guys Find Out I’m a Virgin,” this gem on being single, and pretty much everything on the WordPress site, Somewhere in the Middle, which I used to document traveling solo for five-plus months and continued into the early months of the pandemic). Or maybe you just came across the page and saw something that captured your attention. Whatever brought you here, welcome and thanks for being here. I’m excited to journey through this portion of life with you.

Unrelated facts.

Things that fill me up:

• Other people’s dogs (see header photo; sweet pup was longingly watching a woman walk away with her dripping ice cream cone, a true loss)

• People watching

• Being anonymous in a crowd, restaurant, city, or public space

• Cobblestone streets

• Being surrounded by people speaking a foreign language

• Solo travel

• Big cities

• That feeling when you’re with people who know you so well you don’t have to think

Things that drain me:

• Unwanted attention

• Shallow conversations

• Uncurious people

• People who take photos of paintings in museums

• Bad listeners

• Hot weather

• Not enough alone time

• Standing-room-only shows in large venues for a band I don’t know well

Chitchat.

What are some things that fill you up or drain you? Share them in the comments below!

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