Special Edition
On this final day of 2020, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year. This site emerged from a goal that I set for myself on New Year’s Eve in 2019. Specifically I wanted to write a page a day about tennis in 2020. The fact that this was done publicly via a blog was an accountability afterthought. Today I am celebrating successful achievement of that goal.
Many of my other goals for 2020 were overcome by events. For example, this year I was committed to playing at least one of the USTA National Grass Court Championships. Both events were ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19. In fact, had I known how 2020 would unfold, I probably would not have set the daily writing objective for myself. However, this project turned out to be a terrific coping mechanism during the pandemic shutdowns, cancellations, and other life adjustments.
As I started this project, I claimed to have no goals relating to promotion of the blog or building readership. However, readership has grown slowly and steadily over the course of the past year. I am probably not in imminent danger of becoming a social media influencer. That is still not an objective. Going back to my first official post, the closing sentences remains relevant to this day.
Probably this is best thought of as a public personal diary that anyone is welcome to read. It won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t.
Last sentence of “The Challenge” posted 12/31/2019.
As I contemplated what happens with respect to this project as 2020 draws to a close, one thing is clear. I have no intention of stopping the daily writing practice. The primary reason for this is because the process of writing about tennis has been personally rewarding. I have learned so much and I am definitely not running out of topics to explore.
As we transition into 2021, I am going to dedicate the Fiend at Court Unplugged series of posts to reflecting back on a few of my favorite posts made in 2020. Also, as I start to review my past posts as a part of that exercise, it occurs to me that I should revisit some topics because my perspective has become more nuanced and informed over time.
Additionally, some of the posts definitely have opportunities for the correction of spelling, typos, and grammar. Now might be a good time to remind everyone that I am an engineer by education. I was not required to take a lot of English and composition in college.
This blog is a journey rather than a destination. In 2021, the journey continues.
