Made it, Ma! Top of the World!

Look at all those zeroes...

From where I stand, things are looking pretty good.

Yesterday, only eight months into my “5 a.m. Stories” project, I hit the 40,000 pageview mark.

Who saw this coming? Not me, that’s for sure.

By my first anniversary, March 19, 2024, I have a good shot at reaching 50,000 pageviews. Isn’t that half a million, or do I need more zeroes for that?

Wait, there’s more! Look at this badge! Substack says I’ve now posted 34 weeks in a row, which puts me in the top 8 percent of their writers. That’s them saying that. I should add, this honor only reflects continuity, not quality or popularity.

It means I show up for work. It means you can count on my stories to arrive, no matter how bad they might be.

As James Cagney famously says in the movie “White Heat,” “Made it, Ma! Top of the World!”

In further news, in just a couple of weeks I will swing into full holiday mode, with Thanksgiving and Christmas stories so heartwarming they will certainly be Hallmark Specials by this time next year.

You will see true tales of young newlyweds dealing with an exploding pie, a boy trying to sneak a knife into the White House and other slop guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings.

Once again, thank you all for coming along for this ride. I wouldn’t want to make the journey with anyone but you.