From the start of this journey, I’ve called you my friends. In each of my hundreds of reels, I’ve opened with, “Hello, my friends!”—and that is genuinely how I feel. I much prefer “friends” to “followers.”  You need to know that I always have that relationship central in my imagination, whether I’m scripting a three-minute reel, formatting a 2000-word essay, crafting an hour-long keynote, or researching a full-length book. 

Whatever the medium, when I reach out, I am speaking too—and with—my friends.

And every one of those reels has ended with, “I’ll be back!”—a kind of promise to you, but also a commitment to my deepest self. That simple private pledge, made publicly, has kept me on task during the normal dips and twists of life, but especially as I’ve felt the suction of overwhelm and outrage tug more than usual at my sweaty, knobby little white knuckles. Like you, I’ve been holding on for dear life. For our dear, democratic life together. 

So, whenever you hear me say, “I’ll be back,” it’s made of substance. Yes, a simple sign-off but also a vow. I will come back, and bound arm-in-arm, we’ll carry this work together.