A Time to Grow and to Change

Summary

Michael commits to writing 30 articles in 30 days during the pandemic to document this unique period, embrace growth, and reflect on life's meaning amidst the tragedy and change.

Abstract

In a personal challenge, Michael has decided to revive his writing habit by producing one article per day for the next 30 days. This decision comes after a previous successful project where he blogged for nearly 125 consecutive days in 2017. Acknowledging the pandemic's tragic nature, he sees this time as an opportunity for personal growth and transformation. Michael intends to explore a range of topics in his articles, from the direct impact of COVID-19 to more mundane subjects like dog walking. He views this period of slowed-down life as a chance to reassess and potentially redirect one's path before the pace of life accelerates once more.

Opinions

Michael believes that despite the suffering caused by the pandemic, it is also a time rich with meaning and potential for change.
He emphasizes that while survival is paramount for many during this crisis, it is also a universal chance for growth and self-reflection.
The author acknowledges the tragedy, fear, and strangeness of the pandemic but chooses to focus on the opportunity it presents.
Michael sees the slowed pace of life as a rare chance to consider one's direction and make alterations if necessary.
He is uncertain about the topics of his upcoming articles but is committed to the practice of writing and publishing daily as a means of staying engaged and present.

Why I’m going to write 30 articles in the next 30 days.

In 2017, I blogged for 125 (almost) consecutive days. I ended that project over 2 years ago and I haven’t written much since.

Recently, I thought it might be time to come back around to that project. However, this time with a somewhat different goal: write one article each day until the end of the current pandemic. And then I was like… Nah. Let’s bite off a chewable piece. 30 days it is. You might say that the last project was a success… I learned my lesson.

This is a pretty unique time on our planet and in our generation and I don’t want to waste it. It’s tragic, scary, and strange. I’m not overlooking that. There’s real suffering. It’s broad and it’s deep. But, like everything in life, it’s not just something to get through and it’s not without its meaning.

For many of us, this is a time to survive. But for every one of us, it’s a chance to grow and to change. The speeding train of our individual and collective lives has slowed down to an anxious crawl and we now have the opportunity to consider whether we should hop off this train and catch a different line before life speeds back up again.

So, as a small and somewhat silly challenge to myself, and as a way of remaining present, I will make my way through the next 30 days of this pandemic with a daily practice of writing down ideas. I don’t know what these articles will be about. They might be directly about COVID-19 or they might be about walking dogs. I don’t know. All I know is that every day I will write something and push publish.

That’s day 1. I hope you’re safe and well.

Hi, I’m Michael. Thanks for reading this article! If you enjoyed it, you may want to check out one of the more popular articles I wrote during these 30 days: Imposter Syndrome Is Not What You Think.