Hello Friends, This cold November morning, I’m staring through the bare winter branches outside my window. The branches are festooned with rows of raindrops, hanging on like bright pale jewels. But what catches my attention is a hummingbird on a wire. It is so tiny, it is barely a dark spot on the slender line. Occasionally, it flies up, then quickly returns to its perch. As I paused in my watching to type these words, the hummingbird departed, a squirrel climbed a fence across the street, and in the distance, a crow flew by. Life is everywhere. Leaves decay, making new soil. Worms and insects burrow beneath the leaves, some of them becoming food for robins and crows. Evergreens remain stalwart, insistent on providing shelter for the birds and animals who do not migrate. Even during times of destruction, life abides. Creativity abides. On the topic of creating when times feel cold and hard, remember that Vegas conference I just attended? I wrote about listening to a keynote given by actor, writer, and director Kevin Smith. ...Kevin Smith then proceeded to give the most foul-mouthed commencement speech ever. It was great. In between laughs, Kevin Smith’s pale, grizzled, middle-aged face told the story of his life. Hard work. Pain. Laughter. Trauma. Self-loathing. Movies. Love. A near death from a massive heart attack. A stint in a mental health facility. And kindness. An ocean of kindness. And it was the kindness that he offered us, rolled out on a mighty wave. “Your voice is your currency,” he said. And, in an echo of the great Martha Graham, he expanded on that to say that our unique perspective is all we have, so that is what we must offer. And then he went on: There are two pathways in life, creativity and destruction. “Destruction is easier,” he said. And isn’t that the truth? But still, we must create. In a world filled with destruction, creativity is vital. Without creativity, things wither and die. So today I ask us all: What are you creating? I made the essay public on my Patreon today, if you’d like to read the rest: The Night I Didn't Meet Kevin Smith. Kevin Smith—like me and so many others I know—has managed to keep going for decades, even when the odds were stacked against him. Like the tiny hummingbird and the foraging crows, Kevin Smith keeps responding to life itself. How about you? Best wishes — Thorn
|
Hello friends My intention for this week’s newsletter was to share what I’d written on community prosperity and magic a couple of weeks ago. Or the podcast I just did on love and determination during hard times. And I’m still going to, below, because those thoughts are important, too. But first, I need to speak honestly about my current state. It’s not my usual uplifting musings, and I hope that’s okay with you. Last night, my sleep was troubled. I kept waking with thoughts of the men in...
Hello friends, It’s the full moon today, which is a time I like to pause and reset my focus. After a rough few days because of the state of cruelty in the world—including the minor personal annoyance of dealing with a sudden mass of deeply unhappy and toxic trolls because one of my photos went viral on Facebook—last night, I did some cleansing and recentered before bed. This morning, after lighting my candles and making my prayers, I decided once again that today I would focus on the things I...
Hello friends, While walking in downtown Portland, Oregon, I was waiting at a crosswalk for the light to change. I glanced left, and there was a tiny piece of art affixed to a parking sign. It was a portrait of a person with peachy skin and long dark hair, among city lights, and it made me smile. Now, I know nothing about this artist. Perhaps they have paintings hung in galleries. Perhaps they sell art full time from their online store, or at weekend craft fairs. Who knows, maybe their work...