Illumination Writing Challenge

A Testimonial for Michael Patanella

Character, authenticity and depth, all in one package

It is interesting the way people come into your radar screen, only to disappear temporarily and then pop back up at different times. In real life we call this luck, happenstance or serendipity. On Medium we call it “The Algorithm”.

Michael Patanella is one of those that the mighty algorithm has seen fit to grace my reading list in curious ways. Back before ILLUMINATION was a mere twinkle in Dr Mehmet Yildiz‘s eye, I read some of Michael’s stories and was impressed by his candor and willingness to share his life’s struggles.

What I like best about his writing is that Michael isn’t afraid to tell the truth, even if it means telling some less-than-stellar stories about himself. Michael shares freely of his stories and thoughts with the earnest and genuine intent of helping others. You can see it in his writing.

Then Michael sort of dropped off my reading radar for some reason (dare we question the all-knowing algorithm?) It was several months before I saw stories from him once again, this time in ILLUMINATION. It brought one of those, “Oh yeah; I like that person” reactions.

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed his style

With Michael being such a prolific writer with over 600 published articles, it was difficult finding that first one that likely hooked me in. It may or not been this specific one, but definitely one like it that really resonated with me towards the end of 2019:

I am pretty sure it was this following one that popped onto my reading screen again shortly after he started writing on ILLUMINATION. A revealing look at how intertwined addiction and dishonesty are, it resonates with anyone that has ever struggled with substance abuse or knows someone who does.

And, just recently, I found out that he and I share a common denominator of profession. Michael spent 13 years as a firefighter, starting just about the same time I did in 1993. His story about how firefighting can be the best job in the world while also exposing you to some of the worst things in the world is spot-on:

So, if you aren’t following Michael and reading his stories, may I suggest that you rectify that if you are in search of heart-felt and authentic thoughts from someone that puts others before himself.

To close with, here is Michael’s self-introduction from shortly after he came on board ILLUMINATION:

I hope you enjoy reading Michael’s work as much as I do, and if you have not taken on Dr Mehmet Yildiz‘s challenge to write a testimonial for another writer, today would be a great day to do it!

If you like this, you might like some of my other recent writing, including my July daily roundup of writing challenges:

And a recent poetic response to a prior challenge:

And another more spontaneous poem:

Timothy Key spent over 26 years in the fire service as a firefighter/paramedic and various fire chief management roles. He firmly believes that bad managers destroy more than companies, and good managers create a passion that is contagious. Compassion, grace and gratitude drive the world; or at least they should. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and join the mail list.