Mine just happens to be 4000 miles away
I had never even heard of Medium six months ago. However, back in June, three months into the pandemic and unsatisfied with more than being in quarantine, I began to write. It took a couple of stories to figure out the platform. Results were paltry at best. I had one story pop but I still had no idea what I was doing and had zero direction until I received a private note from Michael Thompson.
I wasn’t sleeping well at the time. I had just started writing more regularly and becoming slightly obsessed with checking my notifications on Medium. I remember getting an email that someone had responded to a recent submission. The email only showed the first sentence or two as a preview.
It looked like positive feedback but I couldn’t really tell. My eyes still had sleep boogers in them. Unlike most people, I don’t grab my phone off the nightstand seconds after I’m awake. It’s not that I’m more disciplined or follow some Tim Ferriss Jedi productivity practice. I have ALS.
The reason I don’t grab my phone immediately after waking up is because I can’t. I can’t move a muscle. So, how was I checking my email? I have a tablet about the two feet from my face when I am lying in bed. I rely on a Microsoft Surface Pro and eye gaze technology to do everything from shopping and texting (I sound like a 15-year old girl) to paying bills and writing stories on Medium.
I am completely paralyzed and unable to talk or breathe on my own. Thanks to technology, I have been living with ALS for almost 9 years. Considering the life expectancy for the disease is 2-5 years, I’m crushing life Unfortunately, I am a type-A, success driven man, but like so many others in quarantine, I felt restless.
Once my wife helped clean out my eyes and put on my glasses, I was able to actually read the feedback. Not only did Thompson enjoy the article, he said it actually gave him goosebumps. It would have been wonderful to hear sincere comments from anyone at that point. But as I stated to look into Thompson’s work I became even more excited.
After seeing that Thompson had 37,000 followers I wanted to make a connection. I had just finished Jen Sincero’s book, You Are a Badass at Making Money. One of the biggest takeaways was finding a coach. I tracked Thompson down on LinkedIn and sent him a message. I knew that I needed a coach. After all, my first month’s earnings were a whooping seven cents.
We connected a few times on LinkedIn before I mustered up enough courage to ask about a professional relationship. Fortunately, he quickly responded and said that he would love to get on a call. The only issue was that he lived in Spain and I can’t talk!
Technology to the rescue again. We decided that I could use Google Meeting. He could talk and I could type. Not exactly the typical video chat but it would have to work. Thompson is six hours ahead of me in Florida. That just meant morning calls for me.
My wife and I were in the process of buying our first house in August. An experience that was exceptionally painful due to pandemic. But Thompson’s life was equally challenging because of the strict quarantine restrictions by Spain’s government.
After the move and a few weeks of trying to find a time that worked for us both. Our first call felt like a first date for the first five minutes but quickly thereafter felt like talking to an old friend. We covered so many different topics on that first call. It was no doubt the start to something that we have both since admitted we needed.
Writing is a solo sport. That can create wonderful times of self expression and intense loneliness. The idea of having someone that was making a living as a real life writer felt promising. It might be a solo sport but that doesn’t mean that the time spent training has to be too.
I was such a newbie to the writing world that I probably asked him questions about the life of a professional writer at an annoying rate.
How long have you been writing for?
What is your editing process like?
How do you come up with your topics?
Thompson asked if I would send him a few stories to read. I quickly said, yes. He now reads most of my work before I submit it to publications . He helped me change a couple of bad habits as well continue to help me brainstorm ideas. The best part of the guidance has been the belief and the support.
After working together for a couple of months he provided a powerful writing tool. More writing colleagues. He invited me to join a writing group. After joining, I realized that I quickly found myself on the varsity team. The group’s members were the biggest writers on Medium. These writers had hundreds of thousands of followers.
The idea that I get to interact with a group of such talented people, from all over the globe is still a bit surreal at times. To think that this all started with a simple few kind words from a stranger thousands of miles away is remarkable. It is important to remember yhow powerful kindness can be.
We used to be able to smile at strangers but amid the pandemic, most of us are still wearing masks. That coupled with social distancing, makes it that much more important to really make an effort to find a way to still make personal connections. We have all been forced to sit through awkward, never-ending zoom conference calls for work this past year. Trust me, it’s a completely different experience with friends and family.
Thanks to Thompson’s kindness and friendship, I just sold my first story to Fatherly.com!