On Resilience

Hello Friends,

I have a chickadee update, for those following along at home.

After watching the chickadees try and fail to build a second nest, I got out a step ladder and cleared the two dead chicks from the original nest. Three days later, the chickadees had taken up residence again. Now, it seems too late in the season for them to lay more eggs, but I’m not a chickadee, so what do I know? Here’s hoping that the relatively cool Portland summer continues and we don’t get another heatwave before the new chicks are able to fledge.

Last week, I wrote about hope. This week, I’m thinking not only of hope, but of resilience. Resilience is our ability to pick ourselves up or try again after injury or other hardships. The more resilience we have, the more easily we can do this. External situations, emotional or physical disabilities, aging, oppression, injustice… all of these affect our resilience.

I look at my own resilience and what affects it, and have several jumbled thoughts on the topic that I’m hoping to form into an essay or two in the future. But right now? The main thing I’m thinking of is how important support of all kinds is to foster resilience. Without support, it grows harder and harder to survive, let alone thrive. This is true of individuals and communities.

We need each other. The planet needs us and we need the planet.

Mutual aid fosters greater resilience. That’s the core of the essays I’m writing in my head.

Here’s hoping you’ve got some support in your life right now.

blessings - Thorn

Two bits of news: By Earth is featured as a Book of the Month on the Many Books website.

And Steel Clan Saga Book Two is now up for e-book pre-order!