"Life Its Ownself" Turns Two!

On its second birthday, much gratitude to all of you on this journey with me and some thoughts on how I want to improve Life Its Ownself during the year to come.

(Welcome to my Life Its Ownself newsletter. Please support us by 1) hitting the Like button at the bottom of this installment, 2) subscribing to this newsletter, and 3) recommending it to others. Also, feel free to comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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         But first, your moment of Zen …

         Yesterday was the third anniversary of January 6, 2021, which will forever haunt our national consciousness for the attempted disruption, through a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, of the certification of the 2020 presidential election and the peaceful transfer of power.

         Despite efforts to retcon January 6 as a peaceful protest or a tourist-y stroll about its environs, it remains the most serious attack on the Capitol since the War of 1812. We must never forget or minimize what happened that day – or the forces causing it that are still poisoning our politics and warping our national sense of identity.

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Sunday, January 7, 2024, 12:00 p.m.

         Life Its Ownself turns two today. I started this Substack as a way to share some of my life experience and, I fancifully imagined, wisdom, particularly with respect to Texas politics and government, an area in which I’ve spent most of my adult life. I also wanted to write about Texas its ownself, which I deeply love in spite of my many frustrations with it. And maybe tell the occasional story about myself and the charmed life I’ve led.

         My goal then was to publish a weekly essay on Tuesdays. Last year, as the Legislature met in its regular session, I added “Three-Point Shots,” a weekly effort to highlight three stories and the connections among them. Because the Lege never seemed to leave town (“How Can We Miss You When You Won’t Go Away?”), I published 34 of them over the course of the year.

         And it was a great year for Life Its Ownself. We went from 213 subscribers to today’s 608. We introduced the option of paid subscriptions, and 63 of you are generously supporting my work. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

         This year, I plan to change things up a bit. I will continue to publish an essay on Tuesdays. I will additionally publish on a “when I feel like it” basis – when something grabs my attention or commands my Muse. These will sometimes take the form of Three-Point Shots, since many of you have told me you like that format. Others will be, as this is, just a quick note about a developing story or a fictionalization of a vivid dream.

         I am still interested in exploring both podcast and video posts. To be honest, though, I lack the technical skill or patience to really develop those. Does anyone want to partner with me?

         So, happy 2024! I am grateful you find time in your busy life to read what I offer and I hope you will continue to do so.