Thread by @SavorTooth

I've been unusually quiet, here - just wanted to let you all know what's going on. This is my last week at Grist, next week I start full time as a trainee electrician.

Over the last few years I've found myself feeling increasingly jealous of the people I interview - foresters, power plant workers, farmers - in short people who interact with physical atoms rather than bits.

At the same time I've found it increasingly hard to get past the tough parts of writing: the crappy first draft, and the edits revealing my failures.

All my life work has been an adventure. Raft guiding was an adventure for the first 3 years, writing for the first 17. Now slithering into crawlspaces has me happier than I've felt in years.

The work is like a real world logic problem that needs to be solved using oversized lego pieces. I've found a wonderful mentor, named John Cazden, who is a delight to work with. I'm taking community college night classes.

It feels good to be doing something that is unequivocally useful. After years of writing about climate policy in the abstract, its unbelievably satisfying to be directly electrifying everything. After so much talking, what a relief to start doing.

It's also crazy, after journalism, to jump to a field where I can just drop out of the blue and find a great job locally in a couple days. I'm taking an initial pay cut, but potential pay is far higher. Why didn't anyone tell me about the trades!?

I've just followed my gut, and what made me happy, to this place, so I haven't fully understood/rationalized it. I'm feeling that old urge to write, to figure out what's going on... Maybe this is just the pandemic. Maybe it's my midlife crisis. But I'm happy.

I still think journalism is wonderful, and @grist is just about the best place in the world to practice it. I'll miss the connection to brilliant, driven people -- ie you -- but I'll still be here from time to time. Here's to courageously embracing change.

@grist Two last pieces - this just published. And I have a major narrative treatment filling in the insane details in Ohio's utility corruption saga coming after I depart grist.org/climate-energy…

@grist So it seems like this may have struck a chord for people. If you are looking for transformation you might do what I did and talk to @scottpoynton who is helping folks with transitions. I had a couple clarifying sessions with him.