Owning Mistakes

Reflecting on what should have been different about the Cousin Justin post

Going into 18 Uncles, I knew I’d make mistakes. I knew there was no way I’d make it through the year, writing on religion, family, or America, and posting fifty-something stories without tripping a few times. 

As luck would have it, I made it through 18 blogs feeling pretty darn good. 

The nineteenth is costing me sleep and has me wondering where to go from here. 

I rushed it, the blog about Cousin Justin. I didn’t give him and the complex topic of mental health the time they deserved. And I didn’t get enough feedback from three-hundred-sixty degrees. I should have been much more diligent, but I rushed it.

I got back from South Carolina, where Justin’s most recent accident was a constant conversation and where Uncle Tim was making three hundred phone calls a day. I knew I couldn’t write a single article on Uncle Tim and adequately show his character while also explaining everything that was going on. 

I posted the Uncle Tim blog and then went through my routine of getting the next piece ready for the following Saturday morning.

But it wasn’t just another happy-go-lucky uncle post.

It was much more than that. 

There were so many more elements at play, and in the end, it wasn’t even my story to tell.