The Winter Sun

Hello friends,

I went for a longer walk than usual today, enjoying the bright winter sun. It was warm enough out that a thick hoodie was sufficient.

Birds and beasts all seemed happy in the sun. Crows flew en masse, cawing wildly. Squirrels hopped. Cats explored. Dogs sniffed. Trees reached for the sky.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we don’t take the winter sun for granted. Even a fifteen minute slice of sunlight is enough to get me out of doors again. Now, I also walk in rain—and the brief days of snow—because if I did not, I would not walk at all. Besides, having spent my childhood in Los Angeles during the leaded smog years, being outside without my skin stinging from chemicals is a joy. Rainy days in Southern California were my favorite times of all.

These days? It doesn’t take much for me to appreciate the world outside my thankfully snug home. I don’t enjoy what I call “the icy wind of doom” (which is why I won’t ever live in Seattle or Edinburgh), and I still don’t like super hot, sweaty days (which is why I won’t ever move to Missouri).

All of this is to say: Today I’m feeling good. My overall health has improved and I’m enjoying life. I know others are having a hard time of things today, so I want to share with you this moment of winter sun and a sense of joy.

However fleeting joy may seem, let’s cherish it when it comes.

blessings — Thorn

I extensively expanded and revised my essay collection Resistance Matters. Need a dash of hope? Or simply want the musings of a queer anarcho-socialist on the state of the world? You can pick it up here.