Welcome to AP Updates!

Celebrating 20 Years of Fear and Writing

Let’s pause 10 seconds for station identification. This is AP Updates. I’m AP. Some of you may remember me as Pat, Patty, Peter, Gumby, Stretch, Fuzzy, Ernesto, Roni, or something else…but AP is short and sweet. In a nutshell, my life is driven by three things: Faith, Family, and Fun. I’ve always liked a good story. And maybe even more than stories, I’ve always loved words. That’s the motivation behind AP Updates, to share some words publicly, live from Substack studios, coming to your email dial once a…once in a while. Thanks for tuning in!

Where was I? Oh, yes! Words. Imagine sitting around a campfire with your family or friends. Each person is swapping stories. How you phrase a turn or turn a phrase impacts the group. A person might lose their breath with laughter or gasp in fear. “But words will never hurt me…” was never right. Words have power. They invoke creativity, challenge, and curiosity. Not too many, and not too few, get just the right mixture, and they can lead to a breakthrough. There is a science to it. And yet, it’s art at its finest. And somehow, a string of words can affect you one way today, and if you hear or read them again down the road, it can mean something completely different. That’s magic.

Anyway…words are cool.

In 2005, I decided to write some words and share them publicly for the first time. Inspired by Mitch Albom’s best seller, I created a weekly faith-based musing called “Tuesdays with Aaron.”

I had a nice run, 30 weeks or so in a row, sending out emails in a pre-social media age to a growing number of recipients. It was fun. I would stumble on a topic, noodle on it for a few days, find a few verses that coincided with the thought, and then put it all together. I learned to connect dots, create transitions, edit for clarity, and force myself to hit send on a completed task. The feedback was good. At its peak, I was emailing my writings to over 500 people.

But then I got scared. Early on-set imposter syndrome set in. I self-diagnosed two major excuses. My first problem was that “Tuesday” was in the title. I started scrambling to meet the weekly deadline. Which, at first, was good, forcing me to do it. However, as it got harder to complete, I started to dread Tuesdays. My second problem was that my name was in the title. I wasn’t seeking attention; I just wanted to share some good news. It was supposed to be about the message, not the messenger. Maybe it was the growing list of recipients, or the unexpected positive praise, or my neon flashing name in the title…whatever it was, it just didn’t feel right.

So, I stopped.

Until now…twenty years later, and I’m finally writing again. It won’t be every Tuesday. And won’t always be good. I’m good with that. And while I remain as faith-based as ever, that won’t always be the focus of my posts. In fact, I plan to dabble in a little of everything as I dust it off and find my groove…

Back in March, my aunt sent an email to a bunch of people in our family that said,

“Most of you know that Aaron is an excellent writer. Remember his “Tuesdays with Aaron?” He’s doing it again! His mom shared this new thing with me on Substack. His style is entertaining, open, and honest, and he has a different perspective from the norm. Yup, that’s Aaron! Give him your feedback if you read this!”

What a cool email to get. I was flattered she would send that email, which linked to a piece on running I had just published. But attention is funny. When you do something cool, you want everyone to see (see Instagram). When you do something, let’s say, less cool, you don’t want everyone to see (see Reddit). However, out of our control, the spotlight can shine at any moment…

Here’s the funny part of this story. The same day my aunt sent that shout-out email, I was planning to post a piece on, of all things, dog poop. So, while it was cool to be recognized by someone I love and respect, it seemed uncool that the extra attention would be wasted on this low-level topic. I did a double-take in the moment to make sure this was really happening, and then I cracked up thinking about the irony of it all. Fear had sidelined my writing for years. Then, a few months after I finally decided to get back into it, I got called out on the day I wrote a real stinker. Not all attention is good attention, and this timing seemed problematic. But, I told myself, if you can fight through fear in front of your family, you can fight through fear anywhere.

In the end, I decided to stick with my fear therapy plan. To post the piece of poop online. And then, to add a little context for the family, I hit “reply all” and said,

Well...

I’m back. I guess.

I missed writing. And decided it was time to dust it off.

And while I’m flattered you’d reach out to our huge family to support me...

Your timing is...well, interesting.

You see, while I aim to write some things that will motivate, inspire, challenge, encourage, and make one think... (see “I hate running”)

I also want to have some fun with it and mix it up...and maybe make one laugh a little bit.

So today, Wednesday morning, that is...I wrote my first special edition of “What’s The Deal Wednesday” and the subject was...something I’ve been thinking about while out on my daily runs...

What’s the deal with people leaving dog poop bags on trails?

Yep...

“HEY EVERYONE! GO CHECK OUT AARON’S SUBSTACK!”

Go figure, I get a little extra attention on the same day I’m about to hit post on a real poop piece.

Check your email.

It’s out.

Whether or not you laugh, I laughed so hard...that is, after I got your “read all about it” email.

Unbelievable timing.

Yep.

“That’s Aaron” is back, baby.

AP

P.s. I consulted my kids about whether I should post that piece after your email went out. They said, “Of course. You have to doo you, Dad.” I think that’s how they said it. Maybe the piece stinks, but at least my kids love me.

There you have it. Now you know a little about my love of words, my brief history with writing, and how fear has a funny way of altering your plans.

Faith, Family, Fun…no fear. That’s the focus of AP Updates. Stay tuned.

Run, Read, Rite…every day. That’s the goal to push past fear and get it done.

Thanks for your support!

AP

P.s. Speaking of support, by this time next year, my goal is to have 500 subscribers again. I’d be honored if you were one of them. Along the way, I’ve got some ideas to shake things up a bit…