Ever watched The Godfather Trilogy?

You know how at the end of each film all the storylines get wrapped up at once?

Sal (my husband) and I refer to these endings at moments in life when everything seems to be coming together at once.

That was my life this week.

If you recall, our family made a big move from Florida to Mississippi (Sal and I grew up here) in June.

We immediately listed our Florida house for sale, enrolled the girls in summer activities in a state that seems to think Covid-19 is a nuisance, nothing more, and spent a few months with Sal driving back and forth to Florida to move our stuff out of the house.

There was an offer that fell through. Unpacking to do here. And an upstairs air conditioner that wasn’t up to actually working in the Mississippi heat.

In other words: life happened.

But, somehow, we made it to the first week of school for our daughters, who started 6th and 4th grades this Monday.

And we closed on selling the house to buyers who did not fall through (also on Monday).

And a part finally came in to fix the downstairs air conditioner just as the motor began to moan its death song (Saturday).

If you’ve watched The Godfather Trilogy, besides recognizing Fredo’s unwarranted confidence in his mob leader aptitude in my email subject, you know that the neatly tied up ending of one movie quickly unfolds with the beginning of another.

Our next narratives:

How long will it take for both daughters to retest into the gifted program? We came with very impressive paperwork, but the state requires they go through its testing process to be in the program. This involves me being “that mom” who is filling out forms and doing whatever it takes to expedite the process. Let’s hope it’s not too long.

Why aren’t girls here encouraged to participate in STEM courses? My 6th grader managed to get her schedule changed so she can take robotics and she’ll be one of two girls in the program. I realize I could be making a generalization, but I hope she doesn’t have to do this every step of the way. I was the only girl in my AP Calculus and Physics classes so this frustration is a bit induced by the loneliness I experienced in feeling like an oddball for wanting to take them. High school haunts me.

Will we be able to travel to England for a metal detecting holiday next month? It’s a hobby Sal turned into a career and I’m eager to hop the pond and find really old stuff. So far, it looks like we’ll get to go, but I won’t believe it until we’re on a plane. And, by the way, where the heck is my passport? Moving is so disorienting.

What about you? Do you tie off storylines and open more loops?

Do you share them in your newsletter?

Even if you’re not sharing quite as much personal information as I do, your audience likely craves episodic content.

Make sure you’re building a narrative that warrants opening the next issue.

And if you’re hoping to launch a newsletter, check out Curated News because I’m launching a challenge next week for a small cohort of creators.

Now, let’s talk newsletters.

Ashley Guttuso