Protecting Our Time
|
Hello friends, As a person who creates things for a living, I need to set boundaries around energy, attention, and time. Even from myself. That last might seem funny, but when you think about it, it’s very true. How often do we say something is important to us, but fail to make it a priority? That could be health, family, enjoyment, financial stability, creativity, spiritual practice, social justice work, or spending time with friends. How often do other things creep in, crowding out the space, time, and attention needed to center what we say we want or need? These interruptions may be something as simple as robotically scrolling through social media. They may also take the form of binge watching far too many episodes on a streaming service, or letting family barge into our meditation or creative time. In other words, we all deal with some form of this, until we finally say, “No.” That no is a boundary that helps us reclaim our space. Other boundaries come in the form of priority lists, or marking things on our calendars, with reminder alerts if necessary. And what does all of this have to do with this week’s photo of cactus flowers dotted with rain? Well, the cactus keeps itself strong and healthy by virtue of sharp spines that will impale any creature that comes too close. This enables it to bloom in season, beautifully. Our boundaries may not need to be that pointed or extreme, but perhaps for some of us, they do. So, this week, I ask: How are you protecting what feels important to you? And what boundaries help you do that? Best wishes — Thorn Secret Links! My new contemporary fantasy novel launches on Kickstarter on Tuesday. I’ve created two secret, discounted tiers with extra perks only available to my regular supporters. No one else will have access to these links. They’ll be good for the first 48 hours of the campaign, then expire. I’ll send out a reminder email Tuesday morning, pacific time, so you can check them out if you wish. For now, if you click one of the links now, it will take you to the prelaunch page where you can sign up to get alerted the minute the campaign is live. Otherwise, the links will work as intended Tuesday and Wednesday only. Thanks for your continued interest in my work! Links below: Early Bird Special Edition Hardback Early Bird Deluxe Special Edition Hardback
|
T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, “Light is returning, even though this is the darkest hour. No one can hold back the dawn…” – Charlie Murphy & Jami Sieber It’s Solstice weekend as I write this. It is cold outside. There’s flooding not far from here. There are families afraid to go to work or school. There are people hoarding power and wealth who care only for themselves. There are mass shootings. War. There are people fueled by cruelty, hatred, and fear. These are dark times, indeed. These are also times of...
Hello friends, The thing about life is…. It’s a tangle. A tangle of beauty and heartache and love and joy. A tangle of rest and ambition. A tangle of science and wonder. A tangle of trees and insects, flowers and mammals. A tangle of humanity and a tangle of stars. Another word for this tangling is interdependence. Every time I see it mentioned that someone is “self made” I wince. Not one of us is “self made.” We are all dependent on so many networks that we would not survive without. We rely...
Hello friends, We’re in the dark months here in the northern hemisphere. This is the time when many people kindle extra light. Those lights are beacons of hope, tiny stars brought down to earth. We all have an inner light, as well. A light that connects us with others. The light of creativity and kindness. But some days, we’re too tired to shine. Some days, we’re too afraid to shine. Some days, we feel too beaten down to shine. And that’s okay. Darkness is a time of rest, as well. It’s okay...