What's Going On?
An inflection point as I figure out what to do.
Dirt Nap is consuming.
Of course it is, Jared. You’re talking about death and grief and very personal things. It has to sap you emotionally.
Well, there’s that. I was thinking that it was more time-consuming than anything. But, yeah, it’s the other thing too. A lot of writers on this august platform have looked around and decided that they ought to charge for you to read their work, seeing a need for a tangible return on their time investment. The little socialist in me isn’t interested in restricting my work to the paying public. Besides, I’m not sure any of you would pay for this. Nor am I considering it.
The time commitment to Dirt Nap has hit a sort of wall with me because, like you, my finite amount of disposable time has become more limited than ever. I’m also not willing to half-ass a post simply to publish something.
I’ve also run into a bit of a jam with sources. I try to balance out my essays with actual interviews, but trying to find someone to spare the time for a Q&A is, well, a time drain. Chasing sources
So, what’s all of this whining about? Well, it means Dirt Nap is going to take a bit of a nap until I can replenish my content pipeline and get back on a good footing. Hopefully that’s July.
Until then, I want to reshare the last set of things that I wrote. I went through genetic testing recently to determine whether I had an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer, the disease that has killed my mother, her father and my father’s mother. I’m really happy with how it turned out, so if you’re new to Dirt Nap or just skipped those, I’m linking to them below to tie you over until I can get the train back on the tracks.
Jared’s Genetic Testing Journey
Dirt Nap is the Substack newsletter about death, grief and dying that is written and edited by Jared Paventi. It’s published every Friday morning. Dirt Nap is free and we simply ask that you subscribe and/or share with others.
We are always looking for contributors and story ideas. Drop us a line if you have interested in either space at jaredpaventi at gmail dot com.
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You don't write about shallow things and that is deeply appreciated. Depth comes at a cost in time and spirit. This is a worthy endeavor. Recharge and return. Take a nap and then come back and play in the dirt of grief. We'll be waiting for you.
Congratulations, Jared, on what you have created and accomplished by bringing DN to life! And congratulations on having the wisdom and guts to listen to that sublime and subtly iconoclastic voice which, in our busy-ness addicted culture, says "Rest." As someone who writes quite a bit, I can only imagine the stress of a recurring weekly deadline on such deep topics. DN is a beautiful gift to the world. Glad you are taking a break. We will all be here when you get back.