You've accomplished two things, complete captivation of my attention with a wonderful story, and an enduring unsatisfied curiosity about what the heck this was all about. :) So well told Rob.
Genius: “The whole phony enterprise filled me with existential dread. Even worse: I was sorry to lose my own pointless part in it, chiming in with nonsense about nonsense.”
Agreed. And thank you for reading and commenting. I'm looking forward to reading your writing. Looks like there's plenty of overlap in what we're investigating. Happy to hear from you, however you found your way here. 🙏
"A man strode in, looking like a stock photo search result for “senior ad exec.” He unzipped a large leather portfolio and unbundled the poster boards for that session. He held up the first scene." This and many other sentences made me chuckle. Very engaging.
Thank you, Dhanesh! So glad to hear this resonated, and brought some laughs. I really appreciate your reading, and taking the time to comment. It means a lot. 🙏
This was an amazing story, Rob. I was thoroughly captivated through the whole essay. Comes to me at a timely moment in my life as I'm 25 figuring out where the hell I'm going. Usually life feels like 0. In other, more rare moments, it feels like 1. The more I learn about you and hear your stories, the more I want to know... hopefully more stories of past, current, and future Rob are in the works.
Thanks so much, Jack—I so appreciate your readership, and thoughtful comments. It's quite easy for me to still feel that uncertainty around what I would do, at 25. There's still some of that, even today, but these days the bulk of the uncertainty has shifted to things like: What will happen with my health in the years ahead? Are my kids on the right track? etc. It's always something!
I know this is an exciting and daunting time for you, with all these life changes you have ahead... new potential jobs and even places to live. I look forward to hearing about all of it, and ultimately, reading those stories, as you write them. I have no doubt there will be many unexpected and amazing things to tell.
Such a salient point you make that the uncertainty never goes away, the focus just shifts. That’s why it’s so important to not develop the habit of worry because if you become a person who worries, there will always be something to worry about.
And thank you so much for those words. They mean a lot to me. New jobs and cities and the lives that come with them are on the horizon for me. An excitingly uncertain time. Thank you for helping me frame it in such a constructive manner. Appreciate you, Rob.
Thanks, Rob. That’s kind of you to remember that I’m a mom. I really enjoyed how you had me hooked and puzzling throughout as you no doubt were! Such a fascinating experience.
You've accomplished two things, complete captivation of my attention with a wonderful story, and an enduring unsatisfied curiosity about what the heck this was all about. :) So well told Rob.
Thanks so much, Rick. That's pretty much exactly what I was trying to evoke here. I so appreciate your feedback and support, as always. 🙏
Genius: “The whole phony enterprise filled me with existential dread. Even worse: I was sorry to lose my own pointless part in it, chiming in with nonsense about nonsense.”
Thank you, James. This made me so happy to read. I appreciate you!
not much ≠ zero
Agreed. And thank you for reading and commenting. I'm looking forward to reading your writing. Looks like there's plenty of overlap in what we're investigating. Happy to hear from you, however you found your way here. 🙏
The algorithm provideth.
"A man strode in, looking like a stock photo search result for “senior ad exec.” He unzipped a large leather portfolio and unbundled the poster boards for that session. He held up the first scene." This and many other sentences made me chuckle. Very engaging.
Thank you, Dhanesh! So glad to hear this resonated, and brought some laughs. I really appreciate your reading, and taking the time to comment. It means a lot. 🙏
This was an amazing story, Rob. I was thoroughly captivated through the whole essay. Comes to me at a timely moment in my life as I'm 25 figuring out where the hell I'm going. Usually life feels like 0. In other, more rare moments, it feels like 1. The more I learn about you and hear your stories, the more I want to know... hopefully more stories of past, current, and future Rob are in the works.
Thanks so much, Jack—I so appreciate your readership, and thoughtful comments. It's quite easy for me to still feel that uncertainty around what I would do, at 25. There's still some of that, even today, but these days the bulk of the uncertainty has shifted to things like: What will happen with my health in the years ahead? Are my kids on the right track? etc. It's always something!
I know this is an exciting and daunting time for you, with all these life changes you have ahead... new potential jobs and even places to live. I look forward to hearing about all of it, and ultimately, reading those stories, as you write them. I have no doubt there will be many unexpected and amazing things to tell.
Such a salient point you make that the uncertainty never goes away, the focus just shifts. That’s why it’s so important to not develop the habit of worry because if you become a person who worries, there will always be something to worry about.
And thank you so much for those words. They mean a lot to me. New jobs and cities and the lives that come with them are on the horizon for me. An excitingly uncertain time. Thank you for helping me frame it in such a constructive manner. Appreciate you, Rob.
Such wonderful storytelling, Rob.
Thanks so much, Jenn—this was a bit of a different one. I so appreciate your reading and taking the time to comment. Happy Mother's Day to you!
Thanks, Rob. That’s kind of you to remember that I’m a mom. I really enjoyed how you had me hooked and puzzling throughout as you no doubt were! Such a fascinating experience.