I’m resolved to not delete these stories I’m embarrassed about

Because I don’t believe that you can uncreate what you created. Technologically you can these days, I guess, though even that is doubtful — once something’s out in the digital world, there is always a record of it on someone’s computer or server. I just don’t believe in being a sanitized creator. I think of musicians. Surely they have records they’re embarrassed about but they have to live with them and the public exposure and opinion, good or bad, they’d generated with their past creations. More importantly, everything we said, wrote, or created provides an honest genuine glimpse into our ever-evolving personalities and lives.

Here is one story, I’m increasingly embarrassed about. I drink alcohol every day. I still have a beer or glass of wine every evening. Well, not last night and not tonight, because I’m running a marathon on Sunday morning! But the story just feels a little bizarre. What was I trying to prove? I know what. I was rebelling against the unabating stream of anti-drinking stories showing up in my newsfeed. There is a publication called Alcohol is not your friend or something like that. I tend to rebel against any preachings or overly prescriptive instructions about how to improve my life. It can be about alcohol, vegetarianism, religion, coffee consumption, or whatever. If something works for you, you don’t have to advocate it as some universal truth.

So I’m rationalizing why I wrote my story but at its essence it’s silly. Good for me that I enjoy a drink every…