Here’s today’s handwritten letter to the world.

Hello, and happy Wednesday! At my day job yesterday, I had to get online around 11:15 a.m. I work on websites for a corporation. I won’t say much else about that job, other than that it pays the bills, and I am thankful to have that. But my heart isn’t in it for the long term.

I genuinely love to write, but I’ve not yet found a way to make it a profitable pursuit. As of now, I’m doing it just because I feel the compulsion to do so. I pulled away from writing publicly because I was putting too much pressure on myself, and ended up not writing anything at all.

But I read constantly, and when I consume the work of others, I am so often inspired to stop what I’m doing and engage in some way — in the act of creation myself. Inspiration strikes from a wide variety of angles. Often, when you have absolutely no intention to be creative. It’s almost like a hunger, thirst, or some type of appetite that demands satiation.

Yesterday, I felt pretty good about posting a handwritten page, so I figured I would keep that going today. I might not do it every day, but it’s a fun challenge that’s keeping me writing. And that’s how I will improve.

I’m working on staying on topic, not going down too many rabbit holes. My mind tends to wander and it works in a highly associative way. Slowing my thoughts down to the speed of handwriting seems to do a fairly good job serving as a sort of topical throttle, if you will.

It is still 87 degrees here on the Gulf Coast of Texas in mid-October. All the stereotypes you’ve heard about Texas heat are true. Some times we never really get a true winter, and we’re lucky to see a month or two of “slightly chilly” weather. Sometimes it’s freezing in the morning and a good 40–50 degrees warmer by afternoon.

The weather, though, is the least of the reasons why we are slowly, steadily seeking a new home. If not outside Texas altogether, at least somewhere we’re not a blue dot in a sea of increasingly deepening crimson red. Be well. Until next time.

— Jared Caraway