Showing Care, Writing Letters, and Some Joys
“Sometimes, the brave person has to be you.”
I wrote that on Bluesky yesterday as a reminder to myself, and I felt like it’d be useful to others. Being brave is something I grapple with all the time, even in unexpected moments (thanks, anxiety!). Even it little ways that catch me off guard.
When push comes to shove, I can always make myself to ask the question, take the risk. But it has to be about something/someone that really matters to me. Otherwise, “I move the stars for no one.”
I also joked elsewhere that someone else is gonna have to go first, be brave, not me this time. (My horoscope and tarot card pulls were very insistent.)
I think often we’re looking for someone to show us we matter, amid a chaotic world where it can often feel like we don’t. Because somewhere along the line, someone made us feel like we didn’t matter. That we weren’t appreciated.
If a person feels appreciated, they’ll move mountains. Make whole universes. That’s a basic human fact—for jobs, for relationships.
And I think, too often, we assume people know how we feel. But last I checked, none of us can read minds. (Honestly, thank java.) So, as the Autumn starts to show her colors, I’m going to start writing letters to some folks, telling them what I appreciate about them.
You should, too. It doesn’t to be snail mail. Send a text! Write an email! Schedule a coffee date! But: do the thing.
I have always loved letters. I read Ted Hughes Collected Letters ages ago and made so many notes in the margins. (Books are meant to be lived in, and I will fight you on this.) I adored Johnny Cash’s letters to June Carter. And the letters between Anais Nin and Henry Miller are so hot they should be able to conjure fire.
Is my handwriting good? No. But it’s (mostly) legible. And I have fun ink and stationary. Things don’t have to be perfect to matter. In fact, I’d say perfection is boring and impossible. The best bits of life are often imperfect and messy, so why not embrace it?
Bits and Bobs
I’m going to be an absolute dork and tell you that Offerings for Ordinary Gods has a Goodreads page! It’s real! [Kermit Flail]
Out of curiosity and perhaps a bit of morbid fascination, I watched The Craft: Legacy. I loved the original film, and I think there were some interesting things about this new one. But it failed to make us care about the characters. They weren’t really developed in any meaningful way. And while it was feminist in a way I found interesting, the coolest bit was right at the end, and I found myself disappointed there wasn’t more to it. David Duchovny is still hot, though.
You should, if you haven’t already, check out the Peculiarity Shop and snag some cool jewelry. My friends are brilliant.