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Hello friends, The yuccas are in full bloom right now, with dense clusters of creamy blossoms heavy as bells on tall stalks. This type of yucca is a spiky, unassuming plant when not in bloom, and then _bam_there is an astonishing wealth of flowers. While walking to a writing date the other week, I paused at a large grouping of these flowering plants, growing on the edge of a parking lot behind a chain link fence. The blossoms were buzzing with the activity of industrious bees. I paused a while to watch them. From the corner of my eye, a young man with a tall walking stick approached on the sidewalk. I turned slightly to greet him. “There are a lot of bees!” I said. He paused with me to admire the abundantly flowering plants and insects, two humans on a city street, enjoying a moment. We exchanged some pleasantries, and then went our opposite ways. Even in the midst of concrete and steel, it’s a lush life, my friends. Plants are heavy with flowers, bees are hard at work. All it takes is a moment to notice, and to share that moment if the opportunity presents itself. What feels lush in your life right now? What feels abundantly rich? And how can you share that? Back when I was much poorer financially than I am right now, I would say “we are rich in cutlery” to my partner at the time, because we happened to have way more in the kitchen drawer than two people needed. It was also a reminder that, despite not having money, we still had a lot, especially compared to the people who came to the soup kitchen I worked at then. We are all rich in something, even when times feel hard. What are you rich in? What reminds you life is lush? Best wishes — Thorn
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Hello friends, I wrote this week’s newsletter in advance, because I’m camping with no cell service. It’s so good for my psyche to disconnect from electronics, stare at mountains, and walk along streams for a week. I’m a mind-racer, and this disconnection—like meditation or prayer—helps slow me down inside. The meditation on nature is always a gift to me, even in the small city where I live. For example, on the summer solstice, it was cool enough for me to take a long afternoon walk. I headed...
Hello friends, It’s Pride weekend, and I’m thinking of all the brave people who fought so hard to be allowed to simply exist. And I think of those who are still fighting, myself included. Do we want to fight? No. We’d rather just live our lives, do our work, laugh with friends, raise families, read books, and tend our gardens. Just like immigrants and other people under attack do. “The first Pride was a riot,” it is often said, and whether something is called a riot or an uprising depends on...
Hello friends, James Baldwin is one of my favorite writers. He was also a massively intelligent and cogent thinker, who held great insight into the human condition. Baldwin saw in us a breathtaking capacity for love, he also gazed unflinchingly at the worst parts of humanity, mostly our bigotry and greed. Along with his writing, teaching, and activism, Baldwin fought for a life in which he had time and space to do the deep thinking that gave rise to his insights. He also danced with friends,...