Thinking Back to Simpler Times and a Huge ‘Thank You’

An 18 Uncles milestone... a memory from Spain

Tim’s rooftop in Jerez

Inspiration for this piece came recently when 18 Uncles neared one thousand dollars a month in earnings. I saw the numbers and was immediately brought back to my second year in Andalucia and a sunny rooftop with cathedral views. Because while working as language assistants in Spain, we used to live on that sum of money, and I’ll never forget my friend Tim Ginty’s Aussie-accented (paraphrased) words, “Mate, with a thousand bucks a month, we could do this forever.”

But before I paint that scene, I need to extend a heartfelt “Thank You.” 

I am so humbled that so many take the time to sit and read the work. Time is our greatest asset, and I can’t believe so many spend theirs reading these words. And I can’t believe people put their hard-earned dollars into supporting this thing. 

In many ways, I’m living younger me’s Anthony Bourdain dreams. 18 Uncles is a thing. It’s a blog that earns some income and has thousands of people interacting with it every month. And it’s going somewhere—slowly, but it’s going. And this is just the beginning.

And none of this would be possible without you, The Readers. So, thank you. 

Time is our most precious asset because it flies. Life blurs by in a mess of errands and obligations. It can be so hard to slow it all down and appreciate all of the little moments. I know for me, that’s one of the reasons traveling is so profound. In a new setting, it’s so much easier to be present and take in our surroundings, the pattern on the coffee mug, the smell of the bakery sitting behind the glass, and the birds hopping from branch to branch outside the window. 

In many ways, these months at home have felt a lot like “travel.” Mindfully making an effort to hang out with my uncles, going to church, chewing tobacco at the hunting camp, and helping store a boat for winter have been such a break from my routine and the American-abroad life I’d gotten used to. I’m home… but I’m experiencing so much for the first time and really seeing so many family members for the first time. 

It’s been beyond rewarding, and so much deeper because I’m sharing the experience with all of you through 18 Uncles. 

“I’m going to miss this” is something I often think when I’m with family these days, and that has to be one of the most bittersweet thoughts in the human experience. Because it means two things: first, it means that something beautiful is happening that we’d like to hold onto, but much more importantly, that thought means we’re stopping to note the fleeting nature of life and our place in it. It means we’re present and mindful in that moment, knowing and acknowledging it will never come again, and it means we realize how lucky we are to experience it. 

I’m having so many of those moments these days while making memories that I’ll hold onto for the rest of my life. 

And because 18 Uncles has hundreds of amazing subscribers and earns some income, I’m inspired to keep going. I’ve also been looking back a lot and thinking how much younger me couldn’t have imagined making money with words on the internet.

So, to bring it back to the intro, when I saw that the blog was nearing one thousand dollars a month, my mind drifted to a rooftop in Andalucía…