Dear Rob,
I hope everything is going well for you right now. I see that you’ve been writing on these WordPress daily prompts a little bit here and there. It’s pretty cool the way that you’re getting some increased traffic, isn’t it? I have to admit, this blog is a little bit like social media. As much as we want to look down on people for chasing validation, you get a little kick out of the likes, comments, and subscriptions that you generate here.
Of course, that’s not the real reason you started this. We both know better. You originally started blogging over ten years ago during the fallout from your separation and impending divorce. You wanted to be a voice—not just for divorced dads, but an advocate for men’s mental health. I know how frustrated you got when it felt like the blog never picked up traction. But just know that there are people out there who read this, who take something from it, and who are genuinely entertained by you. Always remember that it’s just like teaching. The rewards may be a few and far between, but if you can make that connection with even one reader, it makes it all worthwhile. 
The next part I’m going to tell you is going to sound too crazy to imagine, let alone believe. But I’m writing this letter to you from the future. Specifically, I’m writing it on May 31, 2026. If you do your math correctly—and I know you won’t, because we suck at math—that is exactly 1,000 days from today, September 5, 2023.
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, you’re going to start writing every single day. Depending on when you read this, you’ve probably already written a post today. You’re going to write tomorrow, you’re going to write the following day, and then you’re going to write for the next 996 days after that. Seriously.
The first time you see someone on WordPress who has a streak of over 1,000 consecutive days, you’re going to think it’s completely unrealistic. How do you write when you’re traveling? When you’re sick? On holidays? But you’ll find a way. Sometimes you’ll write the night before and schedule posts to go live at 5:00 AM. On a few occasions, you’ll even hit publish three times a day.
You’re even going to start your own podcast. Yes, you! You won’t have a massive audience, but that’s not the point. You do it because you need to create. You’ve had a creative spark inside you forever, and as we both know, most artists don’t create for the adoration or the money—they do it so they can breathe.
About two years from now, you’re going to start leaning into AI. Yeah, that’s right—the shit they’ve been talking about in movies since The Terminator. But you aren’t going to let it do the writing for you. You’re still the one grinding, typing, and voice-dictating your posts. You’ll use it for proofreading, structural revisions, and creating images so you can stop stealing photos off the internet.
What you won’t be ready for is how these tools start to get to know you. You’re going to find that the AI picks up on patterns in your writing style and the specific terminology you use. It’s going to help you focus and lead you to conclusions you’ve already subconsciously come to. It’s not unlike talking to a counselor; they don’t do the work for you, they just get you to talk things out.
You’re going to see things over the next 1,000 days that you can’t imagine right now. You already know what’s on the immediate horizon: Kid 1 is going to graduate high school and head to college. And you’re going to have loads of fun watching Kid 2 turn into an extraordinary young man.
But you’re also going to learn some deep truths about yourself and relationships. I know you’ve thought for a long time that the key to happiness was getting into an exclusive, committed relationship. Sure, that still sounds cool, but the truth is you’re going to discover something even better than a great partner: you’re going to get to know yourself again. Even more than you already do.
As independent as you feel right now, you’re going to become even stronger. You’re going to do things for yourself just for the goddamn hell of it. Because you want to. You’re gonna cross a bunch of MLB stadiums off your bucket list because you’re finally making the time and the commitment to do it.
You’re also finally going to get a teaching job in the school district you went through as a child. Do you remember applying there right when you got out of college? It finally happens. It won’t be in the exact school you expected, or dealing with the exact students you thought, but nothing has ever been easy for us, has it?
Because of that, you’re going to lean more and more into the teaching and practices of the Old Man. The crazy thing about parents is that we find ourselves turning into them without ever realizing it. We pick up their work ethic, their habits, their mannerisms, the inflections in their speech, and even core parts of their personality.
I know this all sounds far-fetched. But like so many things in our life, we set these goals, work toward them in the background, and then wake up one day realizing we made it. That’s how this 1,000-day streak is going to go. You’ll have days where you struggle to write, but you’ll get something on the screen and hit submit. You’ll think you have no idea what to talk about, but once you start clacking keys, everything will come together.
Your own stories are going to inspire you at times, and tug at your heartstrings at others. It’s a strange thing to archive your feelings in a particular moment, look back years later, and find yourself pulled right back into that exact headspace. Sometimes you’ll read an old post and think, “What was I thinking?” But more of this stuff will stay with you than you realize.
You’re still going to struggle with anxiety. Sometimes to the point where it overwhelms you. But you’re going to get so much better at managing it. As far as you think you’ve come in the last few years, you’re going to go even further. You’re finally going to hit that point where you say, “If I’m in a relationship, cool. If I’m not, I’m not.” You’ll realize a partner isn’t the end-all, be-all of your existence. You’re going to become a truly well-rounded person.
There’s still work to do. You’re not perfect, you still have things to learn, and goals left to accomplish. But like we’ve always said: the rebuild never ends.
Sitting here on Day 1,000, I can tell you with certainty that I ain’t going anywhere. I’m feeling like Cal Ripken right now on the day he broke the record. We’re just going to keep going. I don’t know how this story ultimately ends—I might stop in a week, or I might keep going for another year.
I’ve dragged this letter out long enough, and you know how we are—we’ve always sucked at writing conclusions. Hell, from my perspective, we’re still just getting started. You’re going to discover more about yourself over the next 1,000 days than you can possibly imagine. But that’s always the way it’s been for us, isn’t it? We do and do, and then one day we look up and realize we’re already sitting in our destination.
Good luck with the writing. And always be true to yourself.
Love,
Rob
Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Whether I’m closing in on 1,000 consecutive days of blogging or reflecting on the decade of work that brought me here, the mission remains the same: No glitz. Just the work. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint and the ‘Tricorder’ perspective behind the rebuild.
Today’s post is inspired by the WordPress Daily Prompt. While I’ve taken the topic in my own direction for the Road to 1,000 Days, you can find more responses to today’s prompt HERE.
Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like 👍, comment and subscribe below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media and check out my recent posts!
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AI art created by Google Gemini
The article “A Letter to Day 1” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.
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