Letter from Mark Segina

Congrats on a Job Well Done

I just finished reading Richard DeRosa’s “Hawthorn Hill Journal” [“Reflections at Year’s End,” issue of January 8, 2026] and found myself smiling as he captured the fear that grips anyone who chooses to step “into the arena,” to borrow from Teddy Roosevelt. My father used to say that if you’re no longer scared to share your work, you’re probably not pushing hard enough—and it might be time to retire. I feel that truth every time I draft a proposal, pitch a project, or even send a professional e-mail. There’s always that flicker of “is this the one where I’m exposed and tossed out.”

I often wonder whether that internal critic ever quiets, or whether it simply changes shape as we grow older and (hopefully) better at our craft. Yet here I am, well into my career, and my stomach still turns over each time I hit “send” or type a question into a webinar chat box.

Your essay reminded me that this tension—the anxiety and the contentment, the hesitation and the joy—is part of the work, no matter the field. Writing, like any craft, demands a willingness to risk a little piece of oneself each time. Thank you, Mr. DeRosa, for sharing your reflections and for giving voice to an experience many of us feel but rarely articulate.

Mark Segina
Mount Vision