Reflections on the 100 Day Project
Two Years Living in DC
On August 11, 2022 I started this writing project, the 100 day experiment of writing, my return to the craft: make something for tomorrow
The next thing to know is that I chose August 11 because that was the date when I moved to DC in 2021. It was a poetic gesture of return and re-start all at once in a completed circle that rolls forward to now and tomorrow.
When I think of my return to writing, I think of a sense of purpose. Purpose, after all, seems to be the thing that you keep returning to. I am here again. In a sense, I never left, but I, here, hold the precious moments of writing with care. I am proud of myself.
100 Days of Writing
When I think of the 100 days period, a few things come to mind. Let me share:
Firstly, the series on Matthew McConaughey and the Lincoln Motor Company is still excellent. It’s truly one of my favorites. I enjoyed so much writing that stretch of letters. I appreciate the earnest comedy about it.
Secondly, in a similar vein, I think the mini series on my investigation into Amharic, really Ethiopia, and calling out the horrible carelessness of the History Channel on Ethiopia is a great moment.
In combination, I think these two series carry a part of what I hope to do next. I enjoying exploring and learning and reporting on the process for each.
In solitary moments, this piece, Dispatch from a Weekend, and On Rage and Release are independent evidence of what I plan to continue doing with these letters. I want candor. I want closeness. I think these did well to present that desire.
Also, I still think this one about Rage Against the Machine is still rad.
Now named A Serious Thing, for its connection to an all-time favorite poet, the project goes on. I think of changing the name sometimes. In terms of meaningfulness, it is a rich name, but it is also a little pretentious and a likely turn-off for those who don’t know me and happen across a post somewhere else. I cherish all who read but also want to find more. This, after all, will be a career in my life.
Building on my move to DC as a symbolic start of a passion project, I think about living in DC. Have I told you how much I love living here? It is singular. I adore it and cherish it for the people it has helped meet and the kind of life it has opened up for me.
For example, here is a favorite museum: The Kreeger
It has brought me closer to the happiest way of life I’ve yet known. I am so close to so many of the things that bring me joy. I think of a comment a friend shared with me; DC is a city of contemplation. With so many monuments, memorials, and museums, it is a city poised for thought and reflection. When I add in functional public transit, a planet of cultures, and wonderful people, this city connects me to things that bring me power and happiness.
Even imagining having to move out of DC brings me sadness. May it be that I am barely beginning my time here; may it be that I am only beginning to write.
More soon,
Trevor
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