Are you curious
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Hello friends, There I was, on our tiny back mud porch—earbuds in, writing business podcast queued up—putting my boots on. A strange, metallic noise sounded from the back garden. I looked up. A crow was at the birdbath. Not the source. I shrugged, slung my bag with my writing paraphernalia over my shoulder, pressed play on the podcast, and stepped out. The strange sound cut through the podcast voices. Pulling an earbud out, I found the source: a squirrel on the fence, busily grabbing, squeezing, and chewing at crushed aluminum soda can. “What are you doing, squirrel?” I asked. It stopped to stare at me, one paw bracing the can on its edge. “What are you looking at?” Its dark eyes seemed to say. I wanted to get closer, but snapped a not-super-sharp photo at a distance. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll leave you alone.” On my walk, I wondered about that squirrel. Did it want to taste the sugar traces left inside the can? Did it just like the sound? Was it building some strange squirrel sculpture? I will likely never know. But I did know the squirrel had some curiosity driving it, even if the only quest was whether it could access a strange, sweet treat. This is something I share all the time with folks who are struggling: “Can you invoke curiosity about X, Y, or Z?” Invoking curiosity enables me to keep going when I hit a wall, whether with writing, relationships, business, or the world at large. As soon as we say, “I wonder…” possibility opens where none was perceived before. We are in times that require both fortitude and curiosity. I’m wishing you a bit of both. There are myriad things we can face with a curious heart and mind. If nothing else, remember the strangeness of a squirrel with an aluminum can… Best wishes — Thorn Please click through to get notified when the magic drops: The Fernie Brae
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T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, “The search for love continues even in the face of great odds” the paper stapled to the battered wood of a utility pole read. I paused en route to lunch with an old friend to ponder the message. I am not certain whether the person who made the sign referred to the personal, intimate, partnership type of love, or the love of friends or family, or some other kind of love. But the reason the sign made me pause is that to me, it spoke of hope. Odds seem stacked against us. Rights...
Hello friends, What happens when we’re not inspired? Or worse, what happens when we’re downtrodden, or exhausted, or want to give up? Well… Rest is always a good option when we can make space for it. Refilling the well is another strategy: going for a walk, reading a novel, listening to music, sitting under a tree, watching a movie, meditating… Other times, we have to adult, don’t we? The thing I’ve learned though, is that adulting goes better if I don’t carry the attitude that this sucks and...
Hello friends, While walking to meet some other writers in a café for our usual co-working date, I saw a piece of standard 8.5x11 inch paper stapled to a utility pole. It was one of those “rip off the tab at the bottom” fliers. I haven’t seen one of those in years, it seems. You may remember them. The “I walk dogs” or “yard work available” ads, with a fringe cut at the bottom, so a passerby could easily rip off the salient information, tuck it into a pocket, and then forget about it until...