Happy Halloween! My boys are excited to go trick-or-treating tonight. And dad is excited to collect his annual “dad tax” on candy later—after they eventually fall asleep.
I don’t have a major update to give on my writing this month. Other than to share that trying to do anything big, like write a new kind of book in a new genre is harder than I thought it’d be. Partially because I don’t want to fail. Mostly because change is hard…
Change is one of those things we all say we want—until it shows up.
Whether it’s a new season, a new job opportunity, or a new story, the moment it arrives, it always has the same question: Are you willing to let go of what’s familiar?
That’s the part that gets me every time.
Because we like the comfort of the known—the patterns we’ve built, the certainty that comes from staying in our lane. But life doesn’t grow there. Growth waits at the edge—beyond what we can see. Beyond what feels safe. Beyond what’s within our control.
Writers feel this deeply. Every blank page feels like stepping into the dark. You can plan all you want, but eventually you just have to start typing—not knowing where the story will go. That first line is a step into the unknown. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure story as you type, not knowing if you’re going in the right direction or not.
And maybe that’s what life is, too.
I keep thinking about autumn—how the trees never fight the change. They don’t cling to what’s dying; they trust the process. They let go. And in doing so, they make room for what’s next. They know that what’s old has to die to make room for something new.
Maybe that’s what courage really is. Not pretending we’re fearless, but walking forward with the fear—one shaky step at a time—using it as a reminder that while what comes next might be wrong it could also be great. And better than what we could’ve imagined.
So if you’re standing at your own edge right now—starting something new, closing a chapter, or just sensing a shift that you can’t quite name—know that you’re not alone. We’re all out here trying to find our way along the darkened path, trusting that if we can just have the courage to take one more step, we’ll end up where we’re supposed to be.
Here’s to letting go.
And for having the courage to begin again. -Ken