The Tl;dr version of this is thank you for Ringing in the New Year with me and with our community…you’ve now read it and can move on with your own day…it only gets ugly from here.
Out with the Old:
I’ve published over 400 articles on substack and there are a couple of things that you probably already know but I’m not going to let that stop me from explaining them anyways.
You see…for the over 400 substacks I’ve sent out, there are about another 100+ that I’d started, written through, gotten to somewhere near the end and then refused to hit the ‘Publish’ button. If you can appreciate how rough and unedited the posts I do publish actually are, you may get some sense as to how fucking terrible my unpublished ones are…but it’s not just the stack by way of too much or too little punctuation, not even by the number of words that are highlighted through the platform as spelling errors that should be corrected…it’s a lot of reasons, really.
Sure…some is gramatical(lol)…some are because I didn’t like the subject or content that I was putting out, some because they are novel length long and some that I couldn’t bring myself to finish for a plethora of other reasons.
Now…appreciate this.
The vast majority of what I have published are deeply researched, screen shots provided, charts and graphs created…and this shit takes time. A LOT of time…I’ve dumped 3-4 hours in writing, after and including research, that have made it to the steaming piles of forgotten shit that I won’t publish.
So…in appreciating some of the stacks I published this year that were not really that well put together or punctuated properly, there is worst shit that I have saved in archives that will now be deleted as a part of my ‘Out with the Old’, pact for 2023.
In with the New:
Over the last 3 years of publishing content by way of posts, threads or stacks…what I’ve come to learn is that I am not alone.
If you’ve read up to this point, the very least thing you can believe is that you aren’t either.
Now…to get a full sense of what I am saying here…you have to appreciate a few things about me…
I have no filters;
This makes me come off as a total asshole;
Ergo, I am a total asshole;
I have come to accept this;
So have you.
Accepting this, personally, has come with some large costs…not gunna lie about that…but that’s all just water under the bridge for me now and with very thick skin and through battlefield experience (social circles - not actual war type battle), I have arrived at a place where I am comfortable about holding my own and even excepting when I’m wrong. Your agreeing with 100% of what I say, isn’t the reason that you are here…it’s because while we have like minded thoughts on some things, we can openly discuss our differences in the comments section…or through email…or phone call.
In this…I am over 30,000 emails behind.
In May of 2022…I was able to keep this number down to about 3-4k.
After that, I celebrated when I brought it down to 7k.
And now…here we are.
Some of you have caught onto this…in that you will repeatedly ask the same questions in the comments section until I reply…and I thank you for having this patience. I mean, I work full-time, have family commitments and then there is that little portion of ‘Me Time’, that I require outside of drilling out stats and posting substacks. While admittedly being a ‘narcissistic whore’ and watching my stats and emails immediately after posting…I cheat a little.
I can set to publish posts at specific times…meaning that I write content and publish it hours and sometimes days later.
Flooding your inbox, as I write, is of no value…I literally read the stats on each of my posts, follow with where hits come from, see how many times my information gets shared…I am a stats guy. I see the content that gets attention and try to keep all of my content specific to your interests…because it’s important.
However…because I cheat a little am not always there for an immediate response.
The conversation, up to now, has been my main focus. Keep these important topics front and center, and keep these conversations going.
And it’s been great…working well…but well enough?
To this…my answer is, ‘not really’.
Because while we may have grown our community and maybe helped move some mountains…I feel like I personally need to try and be more effective in my efforts. There is a complexity that I have been working to understand and a metrics that I am assessing and in this…efforts I will be more focused on.
This will absolutely include you.
It has to.
You see…
My meeting with MLA Getson, one in which you will be invited to join in on, in a Zoom Townhall, was that there is a large issue with political apathy in Calgary, Alberta and in Canada. Because we have no voice through media, and are severely unrepresented…this will take some greater action.
NOT VIOLENCE. NEVER VIOLENCE.
But it might involve me walking further outside of my ‘Asshole’ comfort zone, and may ask you to be a part of this.
May be flyers…
May be protests…(peaceful and legal)
May just be more emails…
I don’t know what it looks like yet, but am in contact with some, will be in contact with others and we will need to unite to end the worst of what we are seeing by way of political rule that isn’t representative.
The new →work harder and smarter to make an impact. We are all in this together, right?
Dry January:
With February being the shortest month of the year, any milestone based on a month should be set by the shortest month of the year…a journey of a thousand miles doesn’t exactly specify that you can’t stumble through step one.
However…I turn 50 next month and plan on being full well gooned for this event.
So…with family discussion, and so that we can do this all together…we figured January might be our best bet.
Hold up…
Some of you have read about me talking about my children and grandchildren…some of you even appreciate their ages…which either makes me a liar, or a very young grandfather.
In actuality, I have 2 sons, with the same wife of 30 years, who have 3 children in their relationships, because…we Yakiwchuk’s don’t fuck around…we ain’t wasting time. Matter of fact, I just spent an afternoon of my holidays as one of the 4 generations of family at a social kids zone, me watching my grandchildren play…do the math.
It was over a decade ago that I was in poor health…bedridden, vomiting constantly, weak and unable, to the point that I literally welcomed death. No, not suicidal…just would have welcomed any escape.
Happily, I can state that I have found this escape, kinda.
You see…while nobody likes to be in pain, and while a lot of us realize that we don’t need to, some of us rely on it.
It’s an end point on the spectrum and in certain ways, makes us who we are.
It can lend perspective, but for me personally it only adds edge.
As in…my personality is dependent on a range of pain because I’ve been dependent on it for most of my life.
And sadly, I’ve adjusted to being in pain and am really not the same person without it. “Dry January” is indicative of a ‘no alcohol January’, for me…it’s a lot different.
It’s a ‘New Balance’, point.
And, one that I have failed at previously.
Spectacularly, every time I’ve tried.
I am doing it anyways…it will require an adjustment period…I may come off as a little hostile, just remember, It’s not you; it is me.
Ultimately, what I want to say is that we’ve formed a pretty tight community and while we may agree on a lot, disagree on some, we are all a part of the spectrum. Next Year, AKA - tomorrow, after a full day of hangover, I am washing away the old, am focusing on the new…and am going to be relying on you to help guide me.
And while we’ve all been through a lot, together while individually - instead of us toasting to the classic, “Auld Lang Syne”, I prepose that we do it under:
When shit gets a little lean, times get tough, you are at the end of your rope…
Spend 3 minutes, listing to this…
Chime in on the comments and email me if you need.
We’re all in this together…
And I can’t think of a better set of people to be riding this out with, than you.
Happy New Year, my friends.
All of the best to all of us and all of yours into the New Year.
I’ll be working harder to continue to be a part of your support and community in 2023!
Happy New Year Sheldon
I wish you and your family all the best!
( That includes all Canadians).
We all are imperfect, and this journey in life is full of joys and trials.
The important thing is to be there for each other.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do for us. I appreciate you and everyone when they are authentic.
Happy 50th Birthday!
Happy New Year!
Dar
Dear Yak,
I wish you & your family all the best in 2023!
People like RFK Jr., Jeffrey A. Tucker, Dr. Merryl Nass, Dr. Naomi Wolf, & The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom in our country, Canada, have a very optimistic outlook for the future of humanity.
(Has Reiner Fuellmich once said these parasite-globalists are foolish people? They can't win . . . over much of the eight billion of us.)
Cordially,
Luc Lelievre
Luc Lelièvre (researchgate.net)
Encl. (And to see this gives me much hope, too, for humanity.)
https://michaelpsenger.substack.com/p/2022-was-the-year-the-covid-mandates?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=834349&post_id=93979193&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email