Hello friends,
Here we are, a year out from the very first posting of On the Common. I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so glad I’m here. This past year has been one of the most challenging of my life, and the regular rhythm of tending to this space has been an extraordinarily healthy habit for me.
I see your names, you who open this up and read it every week. I’m so thankful for your time, and I am especially grateful for those notes you send along sometimes. It’s extremely kind of you to say hello and talk back.
The Part Where There’s an Essay: A Few Stats from the Year
Counting today, I’ve published fifty issues of this newsletter. The numbering is off because I didn’t start numbering until number two. Coincidentally, the subtitle of number one was “I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
I took two weeks off: the week of Christmas and the week of my birthday.
The most-opened issue this year was the issue that was published on St Patrick’s Day, March 17. It wasn’t anything special; a brief essay about the war in Ukraine, and some complaining about the smell of Bradford Pear trees.
The issue in which I got bossy about what women might want for Mother's Day came in fourth. But it was definitely the issue that spawned the most in-person conversations, with moms and dads alike.
The least-read issue came out two days before Christmas. Good for all of us. I sent you just a poem; a lot of you didn’t read it because you were probably doing something more important than reading your email.
Apart from social media friends, the largest number of you were referred here by my longtime buddies at Story Warren.
Here at the year mark, I’m planning some changes and I’m planning to keep some things the same. But I’d like to hear from you, readers: what would you like to read more of?
For the Anglophiles
The Ringer marked the 100th anniversary of the BBC with a series of stories about British television. Here’s one about the adaptation of The Office, and why some adaptations work and others don’t: The Ever-Rich Britain-to-America Comedy Pipeline. I also enjoyed this bit about how often British actors get “recycled” compared to their American counterparts.
Reads & Listens of the Week
A newsletter that I open up and read every week is Jonathan Rogers’ The Habit. Last week’s issue was a new favorite: Thrownness — and Your Calling. “there is no pecking order. There are only little patches of ground that we are given to nurture and tend.”
I have enjoyed and benefitted from this series on the book of Jonah from Tim Keller.
The Trinity Forum’s series on reading wrapped up this week, and I enjoyed the last episode, Reading Poetry, a great deal. People who love the Bible need to spend time with poetry — I will sing this refrain forever. It’s not as neat and tidy as the epistles, but that’s the whole point.
“[Friendship] is a relationship that has no formal shape, there are no rules or obligations or bonds as in marriage or the family, it is held together by neither law nor property nor blood, there is no glue in it but mutual liking. It is therefore rare.” -Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety
The Crossing to Safety quote is perfect.
Thankful for your words, Kelly!
Congratulations on this milestone. Well done!! Cathy