Permission to Share
|
Hello friends, Years ago, writer Starhawk penned a novel in which city neighborhoods had fruit trees growing on the sidewalks, so anyone who was hungry could partake. It was a beautiful vision of a world we could live in, if we chose to. I now live in a city neighborhood with fruit trees growing on the sidewalk. Pear. Apple. Plum. Fig. Cherry. But, more often than not, the fruit falls and rots on the concrete in the sun. This happens unless the person who lives in the home near the tree gathers the fruit and puts a sign on it, inviting people to take and eat. Why is this? I sometimes wonder. There are unfortunately plenty of unhoused neighbors here, along with people I know must have food insecurity sometimes, especially as grocery prices have risen precipitously as a result of farm workers being kidnapped, caged, or deported. Then I realized a few things: One, people may not know the fruit is safe to eat. Okay. But mostly, I think people are afraid of taking something they think is not theirs. Despite the fruit growing freely, unfenced, in the open, it must belong to someone, right? Despite outright theft at larger levels, on the small, it is ingrained in us to not steal. To not take without permission. Sometimes, that is a good thing, but other times? We are left with ripe fruit rotting away. We must give each other permission to share, on both sides of the equation. If there is bounty on offer, we must say, “Please, come and eat!” And if we have something to offer, sometimes we feel to shy to share on our own, until someone else says, “Hey! I’d love to see what you’ve been working on. Will you show me?” Which side of the equation are you on right now? Do you have something to offer that you feel too timid to share? Or do you see something you’d like to partake in, but have felt too scared to ask? This week, I hope we give ourselves more permission and soften some unnecessary boundaries. We just might all be the richer for it. Best wishes — Thorn
|
T. Thorn Coyle
“I’m always writing about the same thing, which is the human condition.” — Terry Brooks, fantasy author, WorldCon 2025 Hello friends, I’m writing this from WorldCon—the World Science Fiction and Fantasy convention—in Seattle Washington. I’ve listened to some interesting panels and talks so far: on Indigenous futures, on Afrofuturism, on the unsung heroes of the space program and magical systems in fantasy, plus some indie publishing business panels. I’ve talked with writers and readers both,...
Hello friends, On a walk the other day, I encountered a big metal sign covered in layers of peeling stickers. One read “Don’t look back! You are not going that way!” I snapped a photo and headed forward. But, as intended, the old sticker got me thinking. First, it reminded me of an old card I kept in my office for years. A Mary Engelbreit print, it wasn’t my usual style, but the message was clear. It was a person at a crossroads and the street sign read “Your life,” in one direction and “No...
Hello friends, In a world that can feel harsh and unforgiving, it is important to ask what feels luscious. What have you planted that has ripened? Is it a relationship? A project? Community? Art? Family? Spiritual practice? Mutual Aid? A book? A song? A garden? Your own self worth? And what are you enjoying? In the northern hemisphere, this is a time of harvest. Too many hoard their harvests. It is up to us to share. The more we share, the more seeds are saved for next year. The more we...