How Strange It Is
It’s been a tradition in my December newsletter to offer a Top 10 of my writing pet peeves from the year about to end. This year has been so weird, I thought I’d shake things up a bit and instead feature half as many writing behaviors I can only categorize as strange.
Strange: I want to reach out…
Better: I’m reaching out…
Strange: This morning at 10 a.m.
Better: Today at 10 a.m.
Strange: The people that…
Better: The people who…
Strange: To get started, let’s begin with…
Better: To get started, let’s…
Also Better: To begin, let’s…
Strange: It’s a high-dollar sale and requires…
Better: It’s a high-dollar sale that requires…
Here’s to less strangeness — writing and otherwise — in 2021.
Be Grateful
No matter how you celebrate — Hanukkah (now), Christmas, and/or Kwanzaa — things might look a bit different this year. If you’re fortunate enough to be healthy, have a roof over your head and have plenty to eat, you’re doing better than many of your fellow Americans. I’m grateful for what I have, and since I know my loved ones have plenty, too, instead of gifts this year I’m donating to my favorite charity, the Muscular Dystrophy Association. That horrible disease is why I lost my dad in 2002, creating a wound that will never heal. Cherish those you love and be grateful for what you do have, instead of ticked off about what’s missing.
Adios 2020
I think just about everyone will be glad to see 2020 end, because it’s been a year like none of us could ever have imagined. My heart goes out to those who have experienced loss of any kind due to the pandemic. As someone who’s worked from home for almost 20 years, I didn’t experience the significant lifestyle change so many of you did. I feel fortunate to have been steadily busy this year — and I’d like to thank my wonderful clients for making that happen. If this year has taught us anything, it’s that we are up for a challenge; interspersed with so much sorrow have been bright lights of ingenuity and resourcefulness that give me hope for 2021 and beyond.