We Shine for Each Other
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Hello Friends, The day before the big US election, I went for a walk as usual. A flash caught my eye. It was a quartz crystal, resting on the sidewalk, autumn sun shining through it. The crystal cast a shadow that looked like a stretched out crescent moon. It was beautiful. After snapping a photo, I thanked the crystal—yes, I’m more than a bit of an animist—and settled it against a bit of moss, figuring it would be safer there. I keep thinking about that crystal. I keep thinking about how it reflected and refracted light. I keep thinking that the reason I saw it was that it was out in the open, on the sidewalk, shining in the sun. I keep thinking about that shadow. How often are we like that crystal, out there in the open, doing our best to shine like beacons for each other? What shadows do we cast? And when do we need someone to say, “Hey, you shining entity, how about resting for a while on this nice piece of moss?” Creative people need both sun and shadow to do what we do. We need to be out in the open some of the time, and tucked away safely in others. And, as I believe that all humans are creative, that means all of us need some measure of the above. How are you coping this week? Are you shining? Are you in the shadows? Are you getting any rest? The world can feel scary, but no matter what happens, I’m glad you are in it. And if it helps, I wrote a long essay about Mutual Aid and how we can show up for each other—especially the most vulnerable among us—right now and always. It’s up on my Patreon, and I’ve made the post public so it can be shared. Keep shining. Best wishes — Thorn If you need an escape and haven't yet read my Seashell Cove bonkers cozy mystery series, Bookshop Witch is still free on most retailers through the end of the year!
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T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, This will be a short missive because I've been in Las Vegas all week, at the big Author Nation business conference and the big Reader Nation book fair. While Vegas is not my favorite place—an understatement. I actually find it very trying—I travel here to learn. I travel here to get out of that proverbial comfort zone. It is good for me to stretch myself, body, spirit, and mind. Sometimes, in order to learn, we must cast ourselves into the strange and challenging... And let me...
“Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.” — Mary “Mother” Harris Jones Hello friends, It’s a rainy day in Portland, Oregon. Outside my window, cars shush by on slick dark streets. Autumn leaves catch the moisture from the sky as fluffy squirrels dart about, preparing for the coming cold. Last night, we made dinner, setting out a plate for the ancestors. We lit up a giant Jack O’Lantern on the porch, to beckon any spirits wandering by, ready to appease them with treats, should...
Hello friends, On a walk in the soft rain of the atmospheric river that just arrived to the Pacific Northwest, I saw two small maple trees whose leaves had already turned orange-red. Some of the maples in the neighborhood are still green, or just turning yellow, but these two were in full autumnal celebration mode. So, of course I walked across the street to get a closer look. When I looked up, I was delighted at the display. The leaves looked like ethereal dancers, turning this way and that,...