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
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Hello Friends, This newsletter is going out on Dia de los Muertes, just after Halloween and Samhain. I hope that however you honor this season you are well, and not feeling too overwhelmed. A lot of people are overwhelmed right now. I know that my own focus isn't the best, though I'm enjoying the rain that just arrived, and the novel I'm currently working on, as well as the two non-fiction projects currently on my desk. When I find my attention fracturing, or the doom scrolling beginning, I...
Hello Friends, This week, I’m thinking about where we end up. One day, you’re a cheerful turtle, spouting water for kiddos in the summer heat. The next, it's rainy autumn, the kids are older, and you’re left on the sidewalk, hoping some other family picks you up and takes you home. Or, one day, you’re twenty years old, living with four friends, trying to figure out your life, and the next, you’re heading toward seventy and wondering what happened to your knees. Now, I doubt anyone reading...