Greetings, Old Friend

One year has passed since I said I’d write to you in one week’s time… Oops.

On the heels of a peaceful three months in Costa Rica, I was headed home to Canada, briefly, then to Europe for a month of summer fun, signing off with a promise to share the story of my looming chess tournament in Slovakia.

Then I got sick, my tournament was a tale of woe, I found myself swept away by the rest of my travels, I returned home to a lengthy period of emotional turmoil, and as fall turned into winter, I found every excuse to not write.

This past May, I found myself in Lisbon, Portugal. I sipped a lot of espresso, I ate a lot of cheeseburgers, and I walked up, down, and all around. Something about the energy of this city I unexpectedly found myself loving made me want to write—I felt excited to write again, something I’d not felt in ages.

When I left Lisbon, I felt my excitement fade, but the seed was planted. At least in part because my ego came to the conclusion that I’m too good of a writer to not write. I’m no prodigy, but letting a flair for writing such as mine collect dust and rust through inaction seems a great shame.

(Okay, that’s enough back-patting.)

Still though, the what to write about eluded me, and still is. In Lisbon, I found myself writing about the cat I met from three doors down back in Canada. In Athens, my stop after Lisbon, I wrote personal reflections. In London, my final destination before returning home, I didn’t write at all.

But I don’t want to not write anymore, even if I’m not clear on the what.

Writing has always made me be, feel, and live better. I usually find writing fun, with the occasional side of frustration. And since I was a teenager, I’ve thought that writing a book would be a lovely, rewarding experience—even if, again, I don’t have a clue as to what I could possibly write a book about.

So for the time being, while I brush away the cobwebs and oil my rusty fingers, I’m going to write about nothing, and everything. My plan is to send you something worth reading once or twice per week, along these lines:

• I’ve been reading a lot (of fiction), and would love to share some of my favourite, most enjoyable and insightful finds with you.
  

• A couple of quirky, curious cats have found their way into my life this year, which come with cute, fun, even mystical stories.
  

• I’ve travelled a lot in the past year, and had the pleasure of taking in heaps of live drum’n’bass music with my partner, Alicia.
  

• My garden—something I never imagined myself doing—is in full, glorious bloom as summer descends in earnest upon Vancouver Island.
  

• I’m in the gym a few times per week with the most intention, structure, and consistency I’ve had since my competitive bodybuilding days.
  

• I’ve been watching heaps of racing (MotoGP, F1, IndyCar), as I love watching people at the pinnacle of their discipline wrestle with performance—and doing so at speeds of over 350km/hr is just thrilling.
  

• I’m in the process of reimagining (and hopefully reinvigorating) my copywriting/writing coaching business, in search of greater alignment.
  

• Chess has dipped in and out of my days with varying degrees of commitment, drive, and focus, but is still present nonetheless.

While I didn’t recognize this was the case until penning the above, there’s been a lot of life lived, many inputs absorbed, and thus writing fodder galore.

My hope, my intention is that you get at least one little nugget of wisdom, insight, amusement, or contemplation from each piece I share with you.

And if that’s not the case, you can always unsubscribe.

In the meantime, since you’ve read this far, I’d love to hear from you.

What have you been up to this past year? What’s unfolding in your world? You’re welcome to share anything and everything, and you can expect a reply.

With love from the forest,

~ Alexander Mullan