Coming Soon...

…sticky fingers and receding hairlines.

I'm not always a positive person. 

I won't lie to you, even though it's not the ideal opening line for a new Substack. I'm uncertain if it's wise to be transparent, but it's my natural tendency. My wife encourages me to “embrace my true self."

She doesn’t do social media.

It's my hope that this first post won't be a negative to this blog, but there are days when I feel beaten. 

You CAN relate to this, can't you? 

We do our best, swing the bat, give it our all — yet we feel run down, run over, dead tired, and we just don’t know where to turn.   

Yeah, today is one of those days for me, even though I’m uploading new logos, planning the publishing schedule and ticking each box on my list. So why am I down?

Reality Sets In

To create kidCLANS and commit to you requires deeper and more openness than ever before. What I hope to accomplish will require more than my current capacity, and that scares me. Add to that the current challenges our family: multiple deaths, loss of work, down-scaling our living circumstances, and taking in mom right after we buried dad.

Not that we can’t do it all, ‘cause we can. It’s just damn hard and I’m @$!%#! tired.

I hate saying this, but the older I get, the less confident I feel. Every time I look at my family, I wish I was more for them. To influence the world through action…

That’s When I Remember The Upside

So I came to Substack. 

Yeah, life is hard, but it’s not about me. It’s about finding those struggling, or confused, perhaps fed up with family circumstance around them. To hold their hand, smile, and assure them that tomorrow is coming. 

To tell those suffering to hold on.   

It sounds baffling talking like this, but helping others always gives me strength to deal with my own mountains.   

Honestly, I'm not sure why these moments hit so fast, so hard. I don't know why they return and again, but I strive to learn from them. Moments of opportunity to close my mouth and listen.   

What does my heart say? What does that soft, inner voice of love and peace whisper to me?   

It says that I am blessed. Married to a beautiful soul of a woman who loves me. Truly loves me. That I have a relationship that continues to grow. The sun not only rises and shines upon my life daily, it reveals another aspect of my marriage to glory in. 

To marvel at. 

To appreciate, treasure, and celebrate.   

I hope someone loves you like that.   

Let Me Share A Belief

Life isn't perfect, I know. We all have hopes and expectations that are important to us. When we strive to accomplish something important and it doesn't come to fruition, we often lose that hope, even if it's just a portion.

We question what we are striving for and it can turn to self-doubt. If we're not careful, we question the very foundation we stand on. Important aspects of our lives become unstable.   

But here’s the truth…

It's during these times that we are being tested. That's what I believe. The powers that be give us opportunities to rise above our present conditions and become something more. To reflect inward and push upward, breaking the chains of doubt.

Our decaying society would say the pain and suffering are the norm.  

That’s a lie. 

We should consider our natural desire to love and be loved as the norm. To help one another. 

To care. 

Thinking of others should be the norm. To improve upon everything we touch. This is what I believe. 

So Here’s What’s Coming

I don’t know how extensive setting up this Substack will take. I’m still moving into our new apartment, wading through a sea of boxes, but I’ve got a plan. One that will allow ongoing conversations between us.

I hope you’re looking forward to that as much as I am. Discussion boards were the deciding factor for me to unplug my previous projects and migrate to this platform.

Be patient. I’ll launch soon. I want to get my art tools up and ready, so I can craft some cartoons for you.

Next time I post, I’ll reveal the schedule & goals.

Take a moment and introduce yourself.