“Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions...” - Carl Sagan
A lot can happen in a year.
In that time, the average person will eat around 600kg of food, laugh around 6000 times, read 15 books, and sleep for 2500 hours.
It's how long koalas and alligators tenderly care for their young, before they're ready to fend for themselves.
And it's also, as of today, the amount of time 'Tales of the Zeitgeist' has existed on Substack.
Exactly 365 days ago, I published my first post, which was appropriately titled 'The First Word'. In it, I briefly set out what I was hoping to do with this Publication, and although a lot has changed since then, and things have ended up going in a different direction from the long-form novellas and pop culture articles I was originally intending to write on here, all I ever really wanted this little corner of this site to be was a fun and friendly environment, where people could come to hopefully enjoy my stories, and be part of a vibrant community who all share a passion for the written word.
And it's been so wonderful to see that community gradually growing over the past twelve months.
But that's something that's only been possible because we've built it together, and I feel very fortunate and grateful that so many of you have been kind enough to join me here over the last year.
Since starting from zero, 'Tales of the Zeitgeist' has now grown to nearly 150 Subscribers, and is being read in over 20 countries.
So to everyone who has spent time visiting this Publication over the last year, I'd just like to say a huge thank you.
Thanks for being here, and thanks for giving me the chance to tell you my stories.
Your support is much appreciated, and though Year One is now over, this is still just the beginning.
That's why the traditional gift, and symbol, for a first wedding anniversary is 'paper'. It's a blank page, that represents the infinite possibilities that still lie ahead.
And I'm looking forward to sharing more pages with you, in Year Two...
But as a first anniversary only comes around once, I wanted to do something extra special to mark the occasion.
So I'm very pleased to announce that in October, a commemorative Anthology will hopefully be available on Amazon, featuring ten of the best stories that have appeared here over the last year.
There'll be lots of the usual quirkiness, and even some thought-provoking moments, but most of all, it'll be full of humour, and it'll all be in one volume for you to keep as a memento of this fun first year, where you can enjoy some of these tales again, or perhaps discover new ones you might have missed.
More details will be in the next Newsletter, along with a brand new story to kick off our second year together...
This is such a great write - and such a lovely idea! Well done you 🍁🧡🍁
Congratulations on your first year, Chris 👏Here’s to many more 👍🏼