Everyone Loved Her. A Decade of JustMyTake. ALL OF US.
- in memoriam
Dolly Parton passed away last week at the age of eighty. She was an icon, an artist, compassionate, apolitical, philanthropic, and as my weekly signoff asks: she was the best human.
A poll conducted by the University of Massachusetts and YouGov found that 70% of the 1,000 Americans polled had a positive impression of the country icon. The next closest figure was former US President Barack Obama (50% favorable) and Vladimir Zelensky, the president of Ukraine (35% favorable).
Many suggested that she run for President of the United States. I, for one, think she would have won in a landslide. RIP, Dolly Parton.
- Quote of the Week: “Plan in decades. Think in years. Work in months. Live in days.” – Nic Haralambous
Ten years ago I challenged myself to create a website and use WordPress to create a blog. I decided that I needed to give myself some content guidelines and how often I would post, which resulted in an ethos of no politics, no religion, and keeping sports to a minimum. The big decision was to post weekly, which some weeks comes easy, and other weeks not so much.
My influences to write on a weekly basis came from the ‘human encyclopedia’, my brother, Alan. He would enjoy my posts now, as I have come a long way from ten years ago. Alan was taken from us years ago by esophageal cancer – a big loss for me. Two journalists also influenced and motivated me to write – Dave Barry, the former Miami Herald staffer and now a syndicated journalist. His wit and sarcasm obviously resonated with me. Peter King also influenced my desire to write. The former Sports Illustrated and NBC journalist wrote a weekly column, Football Morning in America, which was a Monday morning must-read for me. I really enjoyed his style of writing and his easy to read column.
At this ten-year mark and after 453 posts, I am not sure what the future holds. Friends and other JustMyTake followers have suggested I take another (or additional) route, from using Substack as my platform to creating a podcast to supplement what I write. Substack my be an option, but I am not sure of the real value-add for my content. Podcasting has been and will continue to be a favored medium, but I do not generate enough content to podcast.
As I mentioned, the weekly blog is simply a challenge for me to write – and after ten years it has become cathartic and a labor of love. I am looking for any and all suggestions, comments, and ideas with my next steps with JustMyTake. My readership numbers are surprising solid, but after ten years I am looking for an alternative, a discernible difference, or a signal that after ten years, it is time to end JustMyTake.
Whether I continue or not, a big thank you to all of you who take the time to read the posts, answer the Question of the Week, and provide the positive and negative comments. After all, it is JustMyTake.
Thanks for your answers to the Question of the Week regarding your go-to album (CD/mp3, etc.) that you often listen to…
- Music for Montserrat
- I could listen to ABBA- Gold greatest hits album everyday! Love every song. 🙂
- Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
- My go to album is the debut album of Gucci Mane – no doubt about that.
- Rather than choosing one specific album, I always find myself drawn back to 80s music. For me, it represents a period of discovery and growth that provided lessons I still rely on today.
- Jean-Luc Ponty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEKrrn52w6g
- Anything from J.B. or James Taylor.
- Joni Mitchell: Court n Spark.
- Pink Martini – Hang on Little Tomato. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jz706sJMjg
- AC/DC – live before every tennis match.
Here is the big Question of the Week: Should I continue JustMyTake, or should I close the door on ten years?
- Times have certainly changed over the last ten years. The expanded digital world and A.I. have forever changed social dynamics – from the young to the old. For one, I would not change or switch the way I was raised, where I was raised, and who I surrounded myself with as a youngster. My neighborhood, my friends, my coaches, my teachers, and my parents set me up to have a well-rounded, diverse, and fulfilled life. There is no way I would trade those experiences.
The questions from the socially-challenged to the older generation are never-ending. There is no further explanation needed for the video below. Sinks were NOT an option.
Warning: expletives galore.
- Pure Talent. This is very simple: the Pure Talent callout goes to ALL of us. All of us who interacted with one another, rode our bikes everywhere, left the house early in the morning only to be back home for dinner, respected our parents, and had real relationships. Yes, this week’s Pure Talent is all of us.