Atrophy

Today is the autumnal equinox. Besides being fun to say (go ahead, try it, I’ll wait: aa-tum-null), it’s one of only two days out of the year where the day and night are equal in length.

The last equinox? Well, it was day three of the national “15-Days to Stop The Spread” campaign. That went well, didn’t it?

Anyway, this story has nothing to do with coronavirus. Or politics. It’s all about time.

A lot happened since the last equinox. I changed careers and ended up in the hospital. And no, those two things have nothing to do with each other. Pro-tip: punctuation matters.

One thing that hasn’t happened since the spring equinox? I haven’t been to the gym. The last day I met with my trainer was March 4. 202 days ago.

Through that time, my muscles atrophied. I grew slower. Stretches became tougher.

Last night, Nicolas Cole equated bodybuilding with writing. While phyiscal muscles atrophy from lack of exercise, so do creative one. If you don’t create, the act becomes more difficult. Atrophy is a bitch.

The good news is everything is fixable. Muscles, both physical and creative, are repairable. It just takes effort and willpower.

My publication here on Medium is now named Justin Writes (yes, the name is totes cute). It’s time to go back to basics. For me, that’s blogging.

Blogging on GeoCities¹ is where my writing career began. It’s where I found my original voice — a voice I’m ready to unearth. Don’t worry, my longer, more in-depth pieces aren’t going anywhere (psst, sign up for This Just In and never miss them). I’m just adding more stories.

Why explain all this? Well, dear reader, I want you to hold me accountable. Now, I’m not committing to publishing daily, but if you don’t see something for a few days, call me out.

Part of why going to the gym worked so well (pre-pandemic, of course) is my wife and trainer held me accountable. We all need a partner. Want to go to the #blognasium² with me? Reach out and I’ll help keep you accountable, too. We’re in this together, friend.

What will I blog about? The sky is the limit! But I’ll likely explore creativity, community, entertainment, and technology. Are you ready? Let’s build some muscles. Together.

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1: If you know GeoCities, you’re my people. If not, well, you can still be my people. We just need a different connection.

2: I’m shocked #blognasium isn’t more wildly used on Twitter.