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Hello friends, Change can feel hard. Sometimes change is accompanied by a deep sense of loss. Or we have foreboding, and fear what may come. That’s okay. Natural. Wise, even. Other times, the thought of change feels like a breath of fresh air. A necessary break from what has been. But the reality is? Like it or not, fear it or welcome it, change will always come. As Heraclitus said, millennia ago: “You can’t step in the same river twice.” The river flows. It is always, ever, changing. The seasons change. Our bodies change. Our thinking, hopefully, changes, growing to embrace new information. Climate changes, sometimes because of ordinary time bound occurrences, and other times because of human intervention. Society? Well, some change is accelerated to dizzying speed, while other facets seem to be on endless repeat. What helps with change that feels unsettling, worrisome, or wrong? Our inner states. We can adjust our responses. Rather than being buffeted about by every stray emotion, we can cultivate a steadiness inside. And from that steadiness, we can act. Why am I thinking of all of that this week? Well, there’s the world around us, but mostly, it is because of some fallen tips of a Glorybower bush. The fading fuchsia colored stems and petals lay in stark contrast to the damp grey sidewalk. And at the center of each five pointed pink star, shone round fat jewels in shades of blue and pale gold. Even fallen, even fading, the Glorybower tips were beautiful. Does change worry me? Of course. Despite courting liminal spaces, I actually dislike transitions. And daily, I wish the world we’d built together was a kinder, more sheltering place. But I don’t fear what is to come. Deep inside me, I trust that I—and you—will do our best. Will we make mistakes? Of course. We always do. But still, we can find ways to remind each other of the beauty in ourselves and in this world. Best wishes - Thorn Want a pleasant break from your troubles? I'm part of a cozy ebook bundle! Pay anything from $5-20 (or up) for four to ten books.
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Hello friends, The REM song “Hold On” is playing through my head this week. Partially because, after years of trying, someone in my family couldn’t hold on any longer, finally succumbing to a host of illnesses they just could not shake. The song is also with me because of the sheer number of people struggling right now. Struggling to simply survive. Whether because they don’t have money for food or rent, or lost their job, or struggle with mental or physical health, or they are under attack...
Hello friends, This will be a short missive because I've been in Las Vegas all week, at the big Author Nation business conference and the big Reader Nation book fair. While Vegas is not my favorite place—an understatement. I actually find it very trying—I travel here to learn. I travel here to get out of that proverbial comfort zone. It is good for me to stretch myself, body, spirit, and mind. Sometimes, in order to learn, we must cast ourselves into the strange and challenging... And let me...
“Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.” — Mary “Mother” Harris Jones Hello friends, It’s a rainy day in Portland, Oregon. Outside my window, cars shush by on slick dark streets. Autumn leaves catch the moisture from the sky as fluffy squirrels dart about, preparing for the coming cold. Last night, we made dinner, setting out a plate for the ancestors. We lit up a giant Jack O’Lantern on the porch, to beckon any spirits wandering by, ready to appease them with treats, should...