Hello there.
Welcome to 2025 and the Weather Permitting Substack.
I would like to start with thanking one of my best good friends, John, for bringing this platform to my attention and also giving me the courage to ship (by him doing it first).
Writing is something that has interested me for quite a while, probably since I became a “serious” reader. I love a good story, I love good prose, I love writing that creates a scene of beautiful landscapes or grueling adventure. I love everything from an essay about hiking through the Grand Canyon to Lord of the Rings.
My favorite authors are Edward Abbey, Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, Peter Heller, Jon Krakauer, and countless others. I have also always admired “the old timers” that kept journals of their adventures or even their day to day lives. I especially admire the ones that could do it in a way that was engaging and could even read like a story.
So I guess thats what brings me here, to this post. Simply, it is time to start putting the interest of writing into practice. I had a very adventurous 2024 (for a married middle aged American man with a teenage son and an 8-5 white collar job). In my opinion, much of it was probably worth putting into words - especially if I could write those words in a way that makes them worth reading.
I want to write, first and foremost, for me. To chronicle my adventures, book reviews, thoughts, and maybe - eventually - a story or two. It is my hope that others will enjoy reading these writings and feel inspired, entertained, and/or educated by the words. If nothing else, I would like to leave something for future generations of my family to read to learn more about my life and these times. Something I think would be very cool to have from previous generations of my family.
There is a part of me that has always held me back from doing this (or even things like posting on Instagram), and that is the thought that it’s egotistical to post about, or think that anyone cares, about my life. Maybe it is, but, like I said, I am doing this for me. To flex my creative muscle (one I don’t get to use much) and to have something for even myself to look back on. If it turns into something worth reading, even better.
Instagram works much the same way, I finally started getting myself comfortable with regular posting when I reminded myself that I use it as a photo album for pictures I felt were noteworthy and remembered to at least try be genuine in my posts. Any following that will come along with that is just a bonus.
As mentioned, I had an adventure filled 2024, most of which, unfortunately, is only now making its way to paper. I hope to share some of these stories with you soon, but if not, I am sure there will be plenty of fun to be had in 2025. Lord willing. Regardless, one of my goals for 2025 (more on these later) is to write a minimum of 250 words per day, and I am confident some of that will trickle through to this page.
Don’t be scared to let me know what you think.
It is my hope to post once a week, at a minimum, on Wednesday. You can follow me on Instagram for similar posts in shorter form or listen to the Weather Permitting Podcast where these adventures and book reviews are discussed with my friends, John and Jared (and the occasional guest).
Welcome to the party!