š± the small things that add up to everything (friday open thread #15)
selfmade.substack.com
Quick reminder about two (free) events Iām facilitating in a couple weeks:
Next All Writers Welcome meetup is Saturday, November 14 from 2-3:30pm PST. Iāve been leading these mini-workshops for the past few months and itās been a profound way to process life in Pandemia. These workshops are designed to be generative, and are appropriate for all levels of writers. Register here.
The next Sober From Bullshit š Recovery Club is Monday, November 16 from 7-8:30pm, PST. This is an online recovery meeting where we check in, share stories and get support in sobriety. Itās virtual, so you can join from wherever you are. If youāre on the fence but maybe need some hand holding please email me and I can answer all your questions and give you all of the pep talks. You do not need to be sober or have accumulated any sober time to participateāI promise we will love you exactly as you are. Register here.
Image by Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash
*
Good morning, itās Friday.
Iām sitting here in the dark (again), present to a sense of being moved in equal part by both the goodness and trouble in the world.
Iām present to a deep gratitude for this space, for having somewhere to go when I donāt know where else to place myself, which is all the time these days. Iām grateful for your eyes on my words, your presence here, you who remind meāand all your fellow readersāthat we are not alone, that we belong here, in this body, on this planet, at this particular time.
Iām present to the engine of anticipatory grief humming just below my skin.
On Tuesday, instead of an essay, I will open up another thread. Iāll stay close to it throughout the day/evening. Letās gather.
This week: If anyone has any stories of tenderness to share in the comments below, Iām sure we could all use them.
Hereās mine:
This past Monday, one of my closest friendsā dog wiggled out of her harness and bolted into the wilds of the second-biggest-park in San Francisco. A rescue pup, theyād only had her for a week, and three full days went by with zero sightings of her tiny, scared as hell, shimmering black dog body. They posted hundreds of flyers. A few of us scoured the park and surrounding neighborhoods. We worried about coyotes, and cars. Then, a call - someone had spotted her! My friends raced over only to watch the dog run up the freeway onramp toward oncoming traffic.
We kept waiting, and posting, and praying, and then later that night they found out that a man saw her run onto the highway and stopped traffic on the 101 until he was able to nab her.
I know itās a small thing in the grand-grand scheme. But the small things add up to everything, you know?
Iām here, I love you. Keep going ā„ļø
xxoo dani
Just a few ā ās today:
š āThe Ingenuity and Flair of Chinatown Seniorsā this truly marvelous photo essay about the unique style of these elders, and the brief bits of story we get from the photo subjects was a balm for my soul (and my eyeballs!)
š« I have no idea how I stumbled upon Hakai Magazine but I dug this story about one of Alaskaās most remote islands (where hundreds of polar bears once congregated! Hundreds! ImagĆnate!) that has proven over time to be utterly inhospitable to humans. If the Chinatown seniors lifted me up, this one kept me moody, aka, right where I belong.
š¤ Our friend Nick Cave does it again, just in time per usual:
I think we are living through a frightening and deeply uncertain time, and though there are dementing and cynical voices out there, which are being emboldened and amplified by social media ā that loony engine of outrage ā they do not represent the voices of the many, or the good. My experience of actual people in this time is overwhelmingly positive ā there is a great deal of love and mutual regard and community.
šš½āāļø This one, about masculinity, and grief, and addiction, and friendship, and love, and kindnessā¦yeah. Heartstrings, for real.
Thank you so much for being a part of this community. If you like this newsletter, please consider sending it to a friend or subscribing.
š± the small things that add up to everything (friday open thread #15)
š± the small things that add up to everything (friday open thread #15)
š± the small things that add up to everything (friday open thread #15)
Quick reminder about two (free) events Iām facilitating in a couple weeks:
Next All Writers Welcome meetup is Saturday, November 14 from 2-3:30pm PST. Iāve been leading these mini-workshops for the past few months and itās been a profound way to process life in Pandemia. These workshops are designed to be generative, and are appropriate for all levels of writers. Register here.
The next Sober From Bullshit š Recovery Club is Monday, November 16 from 7-8:30pm, PST. This is an online recovery meeting where we check in, share stories and get support in sobriety. Itās virtual, so you can join from wherever you are. If youāre on the fence but maybe need some hand holding please email me and I can answer all your questions and give you all of the pep talks. You do not need to be sober or have accumulated any sober time to participateāI promise we will love you exactly as you are. Register here.
Image by Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash
*
Good morning, itās Friday.
Iām sitting here in the dark (again), present to a sense of being moved in equal part by both the goodness and trouble in the world.
Iām present to a deep gratitude for this space, for having somewhere to go when I donāt know where else to place myself, which is all the time these days. Iām grateful for your eyes on my words, your presence here, you who remind meāand all your fellow readersāthat we are not alone, that we belong here, in this body, on this planet, at this particular time.
Iām present to the engine of anticipatory grief humming just below my skin.
On Tuesday, instead of an essay, I will open up another thread. Iāll stay close to it throughout the day/evening. Letās gather.
This week: If anyone has any stories of tenderness to share in the comments below, Iām sure we could all use them.
Hereās mine:
This past Monday, one of my closest friendsā dog wiggled out of her harness and bolted into the wilds of the second-biggest-park in San Francisco. A rescue pup, theyād only had her for a week, and three full days went by with zero sightings of her tiny, scared as hell, shimmering black dog body. They posted hundreds of flyers. A few of us scoured the park and surrounding neighborhoods. We worried about coyotes, and cars. Then, a call - someone had spotted her! My friends raced over only to watch the dog run up the freeway onramp toward oncoming traffic.
We kept waiting, and posting, and praying, and then later that night they found out that a man saw her run onto the highway and stopped traffic on the 101 until he was able to nab her.
I know itās a small thing in the grand-grand scheme. But the small things add up to everything, you know?
Iām here, I love you. Keep going ā„ļø
xxoo
dani
Just a few ā ās today:
š āThe Ingenuity and Flair of Chinatown Seniorsā this truly marvelous photo essay about the unique style of these elders, and the brief bits of story we get from the photo subjects was a balm for my soul (and my eyeballs!)
š« I have no idea how I stumbled upon Hakai Magazine but I dug this story about one of Alaskaās most remote islands (where hundreds of polar bears once congregated! Hundreds! ImagĆnate!) that has proven over time to be utterly inhospitable to humans. If the Chinatown seniors lifted me up, this one kept me moody, aka, right where I belong.
š¤ Our friend Nick Cave does it again, just in time per usual:
šš½āāļø This one, about masculinity, and grief, and addiction, and friendship, and love, and kindnessā¦yeah. Heartstrings, for real.
Thank you so much for being a part of this community. If you like this newsletter, please consider sending it to a friend or subscribing.