All of a sudden, there was too much personal news, and the internet’s cynical sense of humour took over, using the term to announce non-achievements (Some Personal News: I sneezed) or celebrate jobs they didn’t have (Some Personal News: I’m the new pope!).
Somewhere along the way, a backlash to the backlash emerged. Once again, we find our timelines flooded with self-serving announcements, forced to celebrate one another’s milestones (no matter how trivial), while pretending we’re not in constant competition with each other.
Ultimately, no one is to blame for this situation, not even the girl from my school who is excited about her renovation. In an age where we must regularly reassess our Hopes and Dreams to ensure they remain realistic, you need to take the wins where you can get them. Sadly, the byproduct of our collective desire for public validation is that, in private, everyone else ends up feeling a little worse off.
So what does one do when you find yourself with Some Personal News that you’d genuinely like to share? Announce it in a newspaper, obviously. After four years, 120 odd columns, hopefully some laughs (yours) and definitely some tears (mine), I am leaving The Sydney Morning Herald, and by extension, this weekly column.
At first, being invited to join the stable of regular columnists at this masthead was very exciting, if not a little intimidating. Each week, the opinion section provides a critical space for critical thought, with my esteemed colleagues sharing expert perspectives on various issues of public interest.
Might there be space in this arena for someone who’d like to discuss why hot chocolate isn’t suitable for adults? What to do when you find yourself on the same bathroom schedule as a colleague? The power of crying in public (and the joys of falling asleep on public transport!). Or why the family WhatsApp thread remains the strangest place on the internet?
Apologies to everyone who had to see my head every single week.Credit:
If I’ve learnt anything in four years, it’s that fear of missing deadlines is a powerful motivator, and so I just filed in the hope that the column would connect. As it turns out, we’re all just as weird as one another, and it’s been a career highlight to cover an array of absurd topics and watch them find an audience.
Thank you to everyone who has ever read, shared, commented or emailed. Especially that guy who contacted me most weeks, quite rightly asking why my face featured on every single column. A fair question.
