Protecting Our Time
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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
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T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, It’s a rainy summer solstice here in beautiful Portland, Oregon. The sun is hiding, but, as I move my way around the city, I still see all the ways in which things shine. There are roses in full bloom everywhere. People don’t call this Rose City for nothing. Some roses are fragrant, others, not so much. But each flower is gorgeous in its own way, whether pink, red, yellow, or white. What else is shining? The glint on a crow’s beak. Rain on the sidewalks. People. Yeah. People....
Hello friends, These are tough days, aren’t they? At least, they are for anyone paying attention to the world. In Portland Oregon where I live, a dedicated group of activists have been holding it down outside the ICE facility. This is a privately owned building, and another group of activists is pressuring our city council to revoke the lease, so ICE does not have a holding and staging area in our sanctuary city. Especially not next to a school and apartment buildings. Last night, the...
Hello friends, Last week, I talked about encountering foxglove on a city sidewalk, and asked how your heart was. But the foxglove also got me thinking: Who first figured out it could be used to help with heart disease? I’m always amazed at the ancestors who figured these medicines out. Who would think that these lovely pink bells would be useful for more than their beauty? Who first figured out we could cure olives and eat them? Who was it that experimented enough to know that the bark of a...