April 18th, 2023 – 1,665

~ Sam Shuttleworth

“What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?”

Gary, Indiana. Mostly because my partner convinced me it’s one of the freakiest places in the USA and not in the usual fun way. Except that’s a total lie that does low key make me want to visit more. Bottom of the Mariana Trench? Again no I probably would. OK no I wouldn’t, deep water no no.

Today is my last full say in the US of A, and it’s been a lovely chill one, much like the rest of my visit. I will say this, I am utterly shattered, and a little nervous about sliding back into my old sleep routine, but it’s been such a blast finally spending time with my partner in person, getting to see Seattle with them, and taking a much needed breather at the end of a very long journey. Almost the end, that is. I have two essays, and one test. Those three assignments are all that sit between me, and passing the first year after over a decade. It’s funny, the answer to that question a little over a year ago: University of Sussex. And here we are now. What a life.

Published by Sam Shuttleworth

I’m Sam, and I live to write. I spent most of the first 8 years of my adulthood trying to balance writing with a large amount of crap in my personal life, until towards the end of 2018 I threw everything out and started afresh with just my writing. I built the new me around one goal: I have to write at least 1,000 words a day. I called this goal 1K, and it changed my life. So long as I write a thousand words a day, the day is a success, and atop that I've managed over time to build the life I wanted all those years. My greatest flaws as a writer is I still use too many adjectives, adverbs, connectives as openers, accidental passive voice and I don't force my work down people's throats enough on pain of extreme and unusual torture. My greatest strength is I know my greatest flaws and I'm working on them.