Good morning, Hank. It's Tuesday. So every January I write myself two letters:
one looking back at the year that was and one setting a series of goals for the year to come.
And over the last 10 years, these letters have become a big deal to me.
They help me to reflect and also to try to make conscious choices about my life.
And they've also helped me to achieve lots of goals, from running half marathons to writing novels.
But this year I'm thinking about the letters a little differently.
I'm focusing on beginnings and endings: what do I want to begin and what do I want to end or finish.
Let's start there!
So first, this year I will finish our Crash Course in European history, which has been great fun
and has taught me so much about how to shift perspectives when studying history.
But it is going to end because we are approaching the present.
And also there are a couple other creative projects I'd like to wrap up this year,
but I can't talk about those publicly yet.
Most importantly in 2020, I would like to finish raising the $20 million that Partners in Health
needs in order to break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence, which will dramatically improve
the healthcare options available to women and children in Sierra Leone.
Thousands of you have become monthly donors to that project at PIH.org/hankandjohn, and I am so grateful.
And so are people in Sierra Leone of course, one of whom made me this amazing artwork.
But we still need to raise a few million dollars, which I realize is a lot of money.
And maybe 2020 isn't a realistic goal for it, but it's my goal.
By the way, if you can make a big donation to Partners in Health, please email me at sparksflyup@gmail.com
or just donate directly to the matching fund. There is a link in the doobly-doo.
The last thing I want to finish is writing a book. Not necessarily a novel, but some kind of book.
Alright, onto beginnings. I would like to begin
no longer working at night or on the weekends, which I guess is also a way of
saying I would like to end the practice of working at night or on the weekends,
which makes me think that in some ways, every new beginning leads to some other beginning's end,
but now I'm quoting the band Semisonic by way of the stoic philosopher Seneca.
We've got to get out of this tailspin! Mayday! Mayday!
Right, to keep this goal specific, measurable, and achievable, I want to work no more than
one night per week and never on the weekends, except for when I'm traveling for work,
like this weekend when I will be in St. Petersburg, Atlanta, and Raleigh on tour with Hank. Come see us!
I think on of those shows is sold out, but come see us at the other ones! Links in the doobly-doo.
A very exciting beginning: Sarah's book You Are an Artist comes out in April, and the galleys are here!
It's a wonderful collection of art assignments and creativity prompts with lots of art history.
It's just so great, and I'm so excited! And it's available for pre-order now.
Also Hank, your book A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, which is SUCH a good title, comes out in July.
And I will be touring with both you and Sarah in the hopes of helping those books have good beginnings.
So a lot of travel this year, which means I gotta take good care of my body and my brain,
which is part of my body.
Slightly off topic, but what a weird thing it is to have a mind made out of body.
Last beginning: I would like to write one thank-you note every day for the entire year.
I did this for a month back in November, and it helped me so much!
It made me feel more grateful and less pessimistic. I got the idea from an 82 year old woman
who wrote me a thank-you note and explained the project that she was doing,
but then I lost her address so I can't thank her back.
So... maybe she's watching! Thank you.
There are also several things I don't want to begin or end
but instead want to continue, like exercising at least 150 minutes per week,
making Dear Hank and John every Monday, making a Vlogbrothers video every Tuesday,
and not losing large swaths of my life to scrolling through Twitter as dread washes over me.
I'm curious what you'd like to begin, end, and continue in 2020
and what you see when you look back at your 2019. So let's continue the conversation in comments.
Before I go, one thing I hope you will begin this year:
the Nerdfighteria Census, which is so, so helpful to us
in determining the priorities of our community and what you would like us to do together.
You can find a link to it in the doobly-doo and in the comments below.
Hank, it is a great pleasure to say in a third decade:
I will see you on Friday.