Why I Feel Guilty About Not Reading All of Your Stories,

I hope you understand why.

Photo by Richard Horne on Unsplash

There are just so many hours in a day when I read stories on Medium. I prioritize the stories from writers I frequently engage with and subscribe to. However, there are times when they publish something that does not pertain to me. I don’t want to give them fake engagement, so I don’t read the story, and then I feel guilty about not supporting them.

I am retired. I don’t have to work to supplement my Social Security and pensions. I am enjoying my “Golden Years”—or, what time I have left. Part of being retired is the freedom from the unnecessary stress that often comes with a full-time job.

I have chosen writing on Medium as one of my hobbies, but not the only hobby. I write to share my thoughts and opinions and, most importantly, to keep my mind active. I don’t need the money, but who doesn’t like a little extra spending money?

But like many on this platform, I get caught up in the rush to produce, earn more money, compete with the “big” accounts, or solve the mystery of the Medium algorithm. I don’t want to get back into another rat race, and I get upset with myself when I begin to stress out over what I am or am not doing on this platform.

I don’t need to worry about any other goals other than staying healthy and alive. I don’t need to improve my productivity or set any new career goals. I also don’t need self-improvement courses or self-help tips. I am not saying stories about these topics are not helpful, but they are not for me.

As far as “side hustles” go, I guess you could call my Newsletter, Steve Sovie’s World, a side hustle. But for me, it’s like an experiment or a new toy. It will not make or break me as a writer or content creator. I do enjoy reading what others are doing regarding their efforts to improve their writing or earn a little extra money, but I don’t intend to change direction at this point in my life.

When I don’t read specific articles on the topics I have mentioned above, I feel guilty, but I am not inferring I don’t support the writers or that what they say is unimportant. I’m just an old guy passing the time of day, spouting off about politics or whatever is on my mind on a particular day, maybe wishing I had the youth, energy, and abilities to write for a career. So please don’t take offense if I don’t read every one of your stories. I hope you understand. Thank you.

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Another Gardening Season Has Ended

 

It’s not to early to plan for next year.

                                                          Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

 

Even though fall is perhaps my favorite time of the year, one aspect saddens me: it marks the end of the gardening season.

I lovingly tend to various plants in my garden for almost six months each year. In my raised bed gardens, I cultivate tomatoes, Chinese eggplant, Chinese long beans, Chinese bitter melon, and a variety of hot peppers. My husband is Malaysian-Chinese and does most of the cooking, if you’re wondering why I grow so many Asian vegetables.

In another section of my garden, I tend to bonsai plants. I have tropical bonsai, which I let soak up the summer sun until the weather gets colder, and then move inside. I also have several native trees I am hopefully turning into bonsai trees, which stay outside but are sheltered from the icy winds of our rather harsh winters here in Western New York.

Usually, the weather is crisp and fall-like at this time of year, but this year is different. The temperature is in the 70s Fahrenheit. Some plants appear not quite ready to give up on the growing season, so pulling them out of their comfortable bed is sad.

The worst part of dismantling the garden is pulling away the vines of the beans and melons from the trellises in which they have been intertwined. I did manage to find a few melons I had missed while picking what I had thought was the last of the crop.

Before pulling the hot pepper plants, I harvested a couple of pounds of the hot little devils. I also found about five Chinese eggplants I hadn’t seen before. After a couple of hot, sweaty hours, I finished everything. It looks so bare now! Soon, everything will be covered with snow.

We have frozen many bags of hot peppers and long beans, which we will use all winter, saving us from purchasing them from the grocery store. I will, however, miss not eating bitter melon and eggplant until next year, as they don’t freeze well.

I will now have six months to plan my garden for next year. I will likely plant the same things, but I can always research what other plants will thrive in my gardens. While I wait until next spring, I’ll relax and do a lot of reading and writing. Does anyone else enjoy gardening or tending to houseplants? Please share your interests.

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