I’m not yet a codger. Perhaps I qualify as a coot. Either way, I’ve been blogging a really long time. Most of the really early stuff is lost to the annuls of time…gone down the digital vortex of crusty hard drives and corrupt archives. Heck, I’ve written articles and posts for platforms and companies that even my wetware brain can’t recall any longer. Along the way, I’ve pivoted between the topics of Green Construction, Sustainability, Native Wines, Spirituality, Writing, Publishing, and Modern Redneckery.
Over the years, I have loosely kept track of my top three performing posts. Most months I’m reminded of these posts, because they are still garnering views. I find the subject matter of these top performing posts to be peculiar to say the least. Perhaps y’all can help me formulate a hypothesis as to what these posts say about me as the author and about my readers over the years.
The dates of these posts reveal that I started to find my rhythm as a blogger in 2011. That year was also significant for my family and my personal health. As the first post reveals, 2011 was the year I discovered that water can be drank. Like, plain. You know, without tea, sugar, or syrup mixed into it.
Right now, some of you are thinking, “What???” I get it. That was my exact thought when the nurse overseeing The Wife’s pregnancy with our youngest son suggested that drinking plain old water on a daily basis could cure most of my ongoing medical issues. After some offhand remark on my part, the nurse scowled and asked me the most ludicrous question: “How much water do you drink in a day?”
I laughed. I thought it was a joke at first. Wait, you’re serious? I shrugged and informed her that of course I drink tea. I mean, I’m not a monster. No. She wanted to know how much plain, old water I drank. I thought about it for a second and asked, “Does it count if I swallow the toothpaste water after brushing my teeth?”
She shook her head. “You need to start drinking at least thirty-two ounces of water a day.” I pondered that for a moment. If she would have prescribed me some expensive medication, I probably would have nodded my head and resigned to do what was necessary. Could the thing I had been using to wash my skin and flush my waste down the toilet be the solution to why I couldn’t sleep at night? And why I kept breaking out in rashes? Why my heart would sometimes race? And my thoughts spin out of control?
That turned out to be the case, and I’ve been drinking water ever since. I’m drinking it right now. I even recommend it for you.
This post is related to the first, but gets a little more personal. I lived several years as a Dr. Pepper addict. I’m not proud of it. I wouldn’t have stopped, but my body began to reject the sweet, sweet syrup. (Looking back, it might have had something to do with the fact that I wasn’t drinking any water…) To this day, if I drink twelve ounces of Dr. Pepper (or any other cola), I start to break out in a rash and feel gross.
It turns out that Dr. Pepper addiction is a real thing. Immediately after publishing this Dr. Pepper addiction post, I received emails from individuals undergoing extensive medical complications and extended hospital stays related to their Dr. Pepper addiction. Bodies were shutting down. Going cold turkey was resulting in headaches, the shakes, and loss of concentration.
In the years since 2012, I’ve developed the mind that sugar is actually the most dangerous drug in the world, much more so than booze, marijuana, or nicotine. Reducing my sugar intake by around 80% was a HUGE lifestyle improvement for me. (Increasing my wine intake has helped as well…while accounting for around 15% of my total sugar intake.)
Finally, here is my number one performing blog post of all time. It’s also probably the most peculiar. I mean, I wrote it mostly as a lark. I didn’t actually think people were googling this type of thing. It turns out that some people are. I’ve even gotten comments from people who were grateful for the straightforward insight they received on digging a hole.
The popularity of this post caused me to reflect further on the simple wisdom that the endangered, hardworking, rural American has to offer our Bullish Urban Society. I stepped back and assessed all the things I had taken for granted since childhood. If how to operate a shovel for several hours straight is truly a forgotten art…then what do city slickers know about planting and caring for a tree? Or how to train a pet? Or how to safely start and manage a fire? Or set a fence post and stretch wire? Or how to navigate which plants are poisonous and which can be eaten? Or how to behave around a rattle snake? Or fixing a small engine? Or how to avoid skin cancer while working outdoors all day every day?
The list goes on and on. Sure, we’ve all seen the Darwin award video of some redneck turbo charging a lawn mower and flying off a cliff to his demise. But redneck wisdom isn’t limited to “Hold my beer, and watch this.” Before rural America was gutted during the mass exodus to the cities (a trend which has seen its largest reversal in twenty years during the 2020 pandemic), country folk had a rich and well-preserved legacy.
Will 2020 kick off a long-lasting “return to nature” mindset among the urban populous? Will it be a healthy thing? Will we mend some of the deep divisions between urban and rural Americans? Meh, I doubt it. But if anyone needs tips on how to dig a hole while suffering from an aging and aching back, give me a shout.
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At the Desk This Week
Not a ton to report this week. I’ve been catching up on some tedious stuff, filling out some world and element cards to make sure I keep track of details as I wrap up episode four and start the final episode for season 3 of the Green Ones. I’ve also been trying to make sure I have editing and cover design lined up so that once I finish the writing and redrafting, I can get this season streaming sooner than later.
It’s been an interesting week for industry wide developments. Amazon has launched a new author portal. That’s boring for most readers, but it’s good news, because it will help organize content in stores better. Amazon has also improved its “series page.” And there has been some increasing buzz around Substack (the email service I’m using for this email and all my streaming fiction). People are asking if email can still be a helpful/successful means for authors to reach their readers. Seems to be working pretty well for me!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the States. Happy Autumn to the rest of you!
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