The author, John Marek, is executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership.
Today marks the first anniversary of my weekly Field Notes column in the Speckled Paw newsletter. Five hundred words, give or take, every week for the past year. When one of my favorite authors, Micheal Perry, was asked about a similar weekly column he pens for the Wisconsin State Journal, “Do you ever run out of ideas?” he responded, “Have you actually read the column?” My topics have included manual transmissions, plastic pitchers shaped like cows, furry soap and toilet paper, so yeah, ideas can be hard to come by.
When Kyle asked me to contribute to the Wadesboro edition of his newsletter, he said I could write about anything I wanted. I imagine there have been times when he regretted granting me that literary freedom. My first few columns were straightforward community pieces that discussed recent trends and developments in Anson County. While informative, they were a little dry. Starting with my fourth column, “My take-home pay won’t fill my tank,” I lightened the tone and delved into more personal, often humorous, stories.
Regular readers have been “treated” to my adventures as a nascent marine biologist, budding songwriter and elevator aficionado. In March, I wrote my first pandemic-influenced column, that lighthearted look at the wonders of toilet paper. That was also the first column reprinted in the Mt. Gilead version of the newsletter. Like many people in those early days of COVID-19, I believed the coronavirus was going to be a minor inconvenience; that an effective treatment regimen would be identified quickly, and everything would be back to normal in a few weeks. Here we are six months later with no end in sight.
Someday, I may look back upon these pandemic-inspired musings and be glad to have a written record of my thoughts. Still, right now, I want it to be over and to get back to doing my writing and gardening and economic developing without a mask and social distance. People tend to think of writing as a solitary diversion, and to some degree, it is, but I have never been one to sequester myself in a little room and bang out words. I do my best writing in the company of others – a bustling cafe, a park bench, a table at the back of the bar. There’s something about being around people that inspires me. Sitting in my 12′ X12′ windowless office, as I am today, is more of a grind.
On any given day, I get around 100 emails, a dozen phone calls and numerous texts, social- media tags, pings, pokes and DMs. Add to that the wonderful world of Zoom meetings, and it’s hard to say that I am isolated, but sometimes it feels that way. That’s why I enjoy writing this column as an outlet. If you have any questions or ideas for future columns, I would love to hear them. Email me at johnbmarek@gmail.com. I answer ’em all.
(Editor’s note: We love, love, love running John’s column in this newsletter. It’s always thought-provoking and … just plain ol’ fun! Thanks, John. We know writing is hard work.)