Yesterday Was Passing Thoughts And Revelation’s One Year Anniversary
And, PT&R is now Kiki’s Notebook!
Yesterday came and went with no fanfare, no confetti, no celebration.
Actually, that isn’t even close to being true for Star Wars fans. But there was nothing special to remind us that our first year together on Substack has already flown by. I am thankful that you are here on this journey with me.
It was on the fourth of May in 2022 that I first began posting my words on Substack. On this day, Passing Thoughts and Revelations was born. We were going to be partners. I’d be the quiet one and PT&R would be the one that never shut up.
I had no idea how it would go or what it might become. One never does in the beginning. We have our expectations, but beyond that, only time can tell.
I began Passing Thoughts and Revelations because I knew that I wanted to turn writing, which is probably my most marketable skill, into… something. I wanted to try it on as a job, as a profession. While I may not be earning a paycheck, it was important for me to treat writing as my work. Fake it ‘till you make it, some might say.
Call it what you will, I knew I had to take it seriously if I ever wanted to actually be a professional. Because at that point the only thing changing would be me suddenly getting paid. And if that’s the case, then wasn’t I a professional all along? It’s confusing, but I digress.
I also knew that I have a wide array of interests and that exploring them would be an enjoyable writing endeavor. Hopefully one that would be enjoyable for the reader as well. Initially, it was to be a multipotentialitie’s playground. Randomness rules and everything is fair game. I wouldn’t eighty-six anything as a topic, but I did find myself gravitating in two different directions.
One was the strong pull to write about music. Since that is pretty niche, I branched out to also write under Velouria’s Notebook. I am still refining the flow over there, but know that it is a good outlet for me and a great way to share amongst other music obsessed people.
The other topic that I kept wanting to write about was politics. More accurately, my frustrations with politics. I began to see my various frustrations surge to top my list of potential topics to explore.
I started to feel preachy and, frankly, like I was preaching to the choir. I hate nagging, and I felt like I was nagging in my writing. There are quite a few posts of this ilk written, but luckily they will never see the light of publication.
Passing Thoughts and Revelations was never intended to be somewhere I go to vent.
This newsletter was meant to be a way to write about learning and exploring. It was meant to be about finding beauty in every day, in appreciating the small things. It was intended to be a place for examining and contemplating. And for the most part, that is what it was.
I have taken a stroll through the archives, looking back at the year, and I’ve pulled a few posts that I really enjoyed. For any new subscribers who may have missed them the first time around; these were especially fun to write.
Recently, I wrote about having unplugged from social media and the news cycles, how doing so helped me to realize that these mediums are not only superficial and depressing, but they are also irrelevant. We don’t need them. There are plenty of work arounds.
Unplugging helped me see that I am not a political writer or reporter. It is not my thing. I’m too agitated to report objectively; I’m too emotional. I also fall into an obsession and struggle to write about anything else.
There are plenty of competent writers who are covering the political circus much better than I could ever hope to, so what exactly do I think I’m contributing?
That leaves PT&R and I at a crossroads.
Where will this partnership go? I have an outlet for music appreciation, so I wonder if I even need this relationship anymore? Am I just a music writer?
In writing about politics, I ventured too far from what makes me feel good. I was being absorbed by all the negativity that I wanted to fight against.
I am better equipped to explore the many ways in which this world is amazing, fascinating, beautiful, astounding, surprising, terrifying and, above all, really interesting. This is where my interests lie.
There are many places where one can find the news, but where do people go to find out about other things? Where do we go to discuss and learn, to reawaken childlike curiosity? Where do we find balance?
We know where we can go to find out how awful this mess of a planet is, but where do we go to remind ourselves that it is overflowing with beauty?
Yes, the overflowing beauty may have microplastics - we aren’t planning to stick our heads in the sand or anything. But in spite of the horrors and atrocities that captivate the masses, there is love and food and music and gardening and tennis and art and dogs and unidentified flying objects and waterfalls and string theory and a million other things we can be thankful for. And they are all going on now, simultaneously.
It feels more natural to me to go ahead and live in appreciation of this world and then simply share that. In that way, I’m providing something of value.
The world may be on fire, but outside the birds are still chirping and the sunset is a watercolor painting. My neighbors are cooking dinner and it smells amazing. There is a cat playing on a Mesquite branch, blissfully unaware that my dog has been watching. Laughter rides the breeze from another yard and kids are playing in the wash behind the house. What a shame it’d be to miss out on any of it.
Things may not stay the same, so let’s appreciate the moment. Let’s enclose it in the amber of our memories.
And thus, it seems my partnership with PT&R isn’t ending as much as it’s evolving. I understand better where I can be of service and how I can offer value to my readers. I hope you'll stick around to let me know if this presumption turns out to be correct.
A bit of admin talk coming…
First, the title just isn’t right anymore. I enjoyed the Muse reference, but it no longer fits the newsletter.
I’m going to straight up change the title so it truly represents what will be found on this website, and ultimately, what readers of this newsletter have hopefully enjoyed most: posts about interesting and thought provoking topics, posts about the world we live in and the thoughts that swirl around in our heads.
Passing Thoughts & Revelations will now be Kiki’s Notebook.
The title mirrors my music newsletter, Velouria’s Notebook, and just seems like a better indicator of the content one finds here: Kiki noting the random thoughts that often occur as prompted by walking through this world.
Rebranding coming soon!
Along with this rebranding will also come an eventual paywall.
I know, free is soooooo much better.
I plan to keep all posts free for the first seven days after publication and only then will they go to rest behind the wall in the archives. It’s important to me that I ensure all comments and posts are available to every reader, so this model allows that to happen and still allows me to dip my toe in the pool of professional writing.
Presuming again that getting paid is the sole criteria required for entering professional writer status.
Then again, to complicate things, they say that as long as you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.
Regardless of the label or status that might be attached, I know that deriving even an extremely modest income from writing would certainly help my situation.
Not that getting paid is a requirement; if you would like to continue as a free subscriber, I wholeheartedly support and welcome that. As Gillian Welch wisely said; “I’m gonna do it anyway, even if it doesn’t pay.”
Obviously I’m conflicted about the paywall!!
I will continue to offer the Tuesday Tidbit each week and intend to publish at least one long-form article each month. And we will see where it goes from there.
I am invigorated by the support I’ve gotten from you all; I am thankful for your subscriptions and humbled that you’ve found the time to read these words. I want to extend a giant thank you to everyone who has commented on a post or hit the like button. I truly appreciate you!
I hope that Kiki’s Notebook will bring you value as we venture into the future. And a few smiles too, if I can pull it off. This is where I send a virtual hug for my huggers out there!
One More Thing
As far as bidding adieu to my brief foray into political pandemonium, I’ll just leave it at this: I’m not red, I’m not blue, I’m not left nor right, I’m just a girl in the world.
But, since so many seem hellbent on picking sides, I have chosen mine too. I’ll allow my tribe leader, Charles Hoskinson, to sum things up as he does so well in this video: