Hello, readers.

I have always felt that a job was worth devoting time and energy to if it (a) made me money; or (b) gave me immense personal satisfaction. Ideally, both of those conditions would be true simultaneously. Either one, however, would provide me with enough incentive to stick with it. Because neither condition currently holds true with the Monitor, this will be my final Monitor column as a reporter.

I am a writer first, and a reporter second. To engage in journalism is to plunge into the frothy surf of public affairs—the meetings, the debates, the arguments, the votes. It can be invigorating and exciting, and I have often found it to be so. If one approaches problems with a moral edge, as I do, however, the froth of journalism offers little long-term satisfaction, because rarely do my reports change anything. On the contrary, the problems I point out seem only to get worse. After years of engaging with the froth, I am simply worn out. As a writer, I want to sit back now and ponder the cool, still depths beneath.

It is possible that the Monitor will continue in a non-journalistic format. I have been looking forward to the upcoming winter, when I will be able to walk on frozen rivers and orienteer through frozen swamps. I would certainly consider publishing essays about such adventures. I hope to read more novels with my free time, and perhaps write reviews about them. I may publish jokes and cartoons, or idle commentary on life, or even anagrams—a favored hobby which I have sadly neglected in recent years. It is even, I suppose, possible that I will write an occasional news report, if so directed by the muses. But I won’t expect anyone to pay me for my diversions.

With deep gratitude to my current sponsors, I will be deactivating my Patreon account. Their support has been a source of great comfort to me. A single dollar that someone gives me for my work is worth more than a hundred compliments, because it’s harder to part with that dollar. Those of you who supported me financially know who you are, and you know that I will not forget it. Please do not hesitate to let me know if I can help you with anything in the future.

As with any ending, there is some regret and melancholy involved, which will pass. Life is not fair, but what can you do about it? I am reminded of the advice Penny Baxter gives to his son Jody at the end of The Yearling: “You’ve seed how things goes in the world o’ men. You’ve knowed men to be low-down and mean. You’ve seed ol’ Death at his tricks. You’ve messed around with ol’ Starvation. Ever’ man wants life to be a fine thing, and a easy. ‘Tis fine, boy, powerful fine, but ‘tain’t easy. Life knocks a man down and he gits up and it knocks him down agin … What’s he to do then? What’s he to do when he gits knocked down? Why, take it for his share and go on.”

Thank you to all.