On Seeking Balance
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Hello friends, When I was a teen, one of my favorite films was Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi. With a score by Philip Glass, it portrayed a world that moved too quickly, a human made world that had become too mechanized, too out of control. The title was said to mean “life out of balance” from a compound Hopi word that roughly translates—or so my research shows—corrupted or chaotic life or existence. That film made a powerful impression on my young self. I sat in the dark theater as the credits rolled, unable to get the image of the fuselage from an exploded rocket ship—tumbling over and over through the air, as a poignant refrain played—out of my head. I’m thinking of that film because this week was the equinox. Equinoxes are usually times in which I pause, take a breath, take stock, and welcome a sense of equilibrium. Not this week. This week I felt pulled between opposing poles. My sleep was disrupted by visions of immigrants being dragged from their homes. Of tourists stopped at the border. Of brutal prisons. Of cruelty beyond measure. A cruelty that I was keenly aware of as that teen... What’s the contrast to this cruelty? Spring flowers bursting everywhere. Birds calling to each other. People reaching out to help each other around the world. But the more jarring contrast? My personal excitement at the novel I just sent to my editor. At the new covers I’m designing for an older, beloved series. At my plans. Other people are not able to make plans right now, so my joy and excitement at my own feel like some sort of betrayal. Intellectually, I know that is a lie. I know that joy and plans and creativity are needed during the cruelest of times, because to give those up is to let the architects of cruelty win. As I immerse myself in a story from another author each evening, I feel in my bones how important it is to create right now. And to take solace in the creations of each other. But that doesn’t mean the juxtaposition doesn’t rest uneasily upon my shoulders. All it means is that I’m here, and I’m not giving up. I hope you’re not giving up, either. I hope you are finding ways to reach out and to create this week. I hope you can pause and enjoy some flowers, too. We counter cruelty with love and creativity, together. And we do it over, and over, and over again. Best wishes - Thorn My fantasy novel By Wind is free this month on retailers if you need a magical escape where community triumphs. You can also request it at your library.
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T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, On one of my recent walks, I saw a sign stapled to the utility pole which read: “This is not a time for disbelief. This is a time for new beliefs, a time to remake the impossible.” Yes, indeed. It is also a time to take stock of what we do believe. What are our ethics? What are our core values? How do we wish to live? When we focus only on what we do not want, we tilt the world in that direction. Our thoughts and emotions become consumed, our bodies and actions dragged into the...
Hello friends, As I write this, cold, hard rains have returned after a brief false spring. The tulip magnolia buds that were just beginning to bloom lay in husks on damp sidewalks. Pink camellias lay in slick heaps, a danger to those without sturdy shoes. There’s a lot of danger in the world right now, for far too many of us. One thing that is getting me through is gratitude. In the wash of bad news, I see people showing up for one another. I see communities rallying to protect themselves and...
Hello friends, Today is International Women’s Day. This day began in the US but shifted to an international project in 1911, as a way to uplift women’s rights and demand social and economic change. As you can imagine, women’s global rights in the early 20th century were sorely lacking. During late March of the year IWD was first celebrated, the terrible Triangle Factory Fire happened in New York, giving a stark reminder that the lives of working women were daily at stake. 140 women...