01.23.2017

Story time.

About three months ago, I considered shuttering the website. In many ways, and for a number of reasons, my confidence was shot. I hadn't written a thing in months, and the whole project was starting to feel like an enormous and expensive waste of time. I’ve never been big on asking God for signs, but that day, I prayed during lunch that God reveal to me whether W S H was still worth the effort.

That night, at a whiskey tasting of all places, I see Kevin Blackistone. The Professor Kevin Blackistone, world-famous sportswriter and regular panelist on ESPN's Around the Horn, a show I watch semi-religiously.

With the encouragement of a friend, I found the gumption to approach Professor Blackistone after the tasting. I laid it all out there for him, from where I started December 2015 up to that afternoon, when I was eighty-five percent sure W S H would be one-year-and-done. His advice, simple as it was, gave me all the confidence I needed: if you love to write, don't stop writing. Our conversation took me back to the very first essay I wrote for this site: "I know I can write. I know I can dress. And I'll believe it just enough to keep this project going, and hopefully some folks will agree with me someday soon." What happened to that guy? Ten months in, and I was considering quitting? After writing that?

After the Professor's words of encouragement plus an offer to check out the website — still waiting on your feedback, Mr. Blackistone! — I immediately got back to work. And now, here we are, in Year Two of W H A T S U I T S H I M. To the folks that have been frequenting the site from the beginning, your support means so much more to me than you know. If you're new to the project, dive in. There's plenty for you to check out. (Unless you voted for our current president. In that case, I doubt you'll like me very much.)

Fresh off the most ambitious article I've worked on for W S H, I see 2017 as an opportunity to diversify my bonds a bit. From here on out, W S H will be operating on a set schedule: expect essays and articles on Wednesdays, podcasts on Thursdays, and Spotify playlists on Fridays. The podcasts and playlists will almost always be directly tied to the week's essay, and expect a variety of guests on these podcasts, which will be starting in February.

In every facet of my life, 2016 was a learning year, but I never anticipated this project being my greatest teacher. I still have no clue what I'm doing, but I'm figuring it out as I go. I'm not where I was at this point last year, and I'm beginning to realize the significance of that alone.

More life and more success in Year Two. Let's get it. See y'all Wednesday.

— Larry