Carrying the Load

A Welcome Post

Hello. Thank you for coming. Let me be direct. Things aren’t going so smoothly out there right now. The earth is struggling, and so are we, along with our fellow species. We carry burdens in these lives, and we must bear up to responsibilities. This is the shared human condition: to bear the load. But that load lightens when we find willing companions along the way, lift the weight as one, and advance in love. I’m starting this newsletter because I no longer want to feel alone in my existential eco-angst. I’m hoping you feel the same way. This is a moment of bewildering change that we exist in together, so we might as well hold hands, find comfort, and shine our lights.

How do we live into change? How do we confront disruption while retaining the wisdom learned from our ancestors and supporting the deep human need for care? I want us to work toward answers here, forming a questing community of hope.

Octavia E. Butler once called the bold actions of her characters a form of "species insurance." When I post what I’m writing, reading, and noticing each month, I aim to pay into that insurance plan. When you read my offerings, share, and respond, you will grow the pool. Slowly, we may build a fund out of words and ideas that contributes to emotional resilience.

This is a place for story-loving people who know there is something wrong with our world but still insist on planting seeds for a better tomorrow. It is a cozy corner for romance readers and doom scrollers, for tree huggers and soothsayers, and for all who fret about the past and present state of things. It is a nook where we can together confront the strange duality of our times and bear the burden with more ease and even . . . joy.

(Original embroidery by Diana Weymar on a vintage sugar sack, 2021. Quoted line from Ashley’s Sack in my book, All That She Carried.)

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