People are reading me. God, this is fulfilling.

I’m not referring to my Medium “reads.” It’s nice to have viral stories, more followers, and good earnings in some months, but I don’t care much about any of this. In October of 2021, I set out to write here on Medium with no goals, and certainly no expectations of earnings. I was determined to write consistently. Consistency leads to good things. That lesson I learned from running. I enjoyed writing. Consistency on its own is probably not enough if you’re not doing something from your heart.

Today I had an unexpected encounter with an acquaintance I haven’t interacted with in a couple of years. “I love your stories,” the lady said. She mentioned my story about living in Dallas and Tennessee. I’ve written so many blogs in the last one and a half years that I couldn’t remember the exact story. But yes, I’ve lived in many places in America, and I often write about my experiences. “My parents are in Idaho, and I was going to mention your writing to them,” she said.

Idaho! The book “Educated” came to mind. The main character’s Mormon family is from Idaho. But I didn’t have time for this small talk.

My oldest son was standing there too, listening.

I was so pleased, so elevated. I don’t need compliments, but there I was, standing in the middle of the road, being complimented on my writing by someone who discovered and appreciated it without any effort on my behalf.