Words are also twigs. Sunday by Sunday you are gathering them at your keyboard, building your nest there, and leaving a home for anyone who takes the time to settle for a moment. 🪺🙏
I'm not sure how you achieve it week after week to create and deliver this polished gem filled with so much heart and wisdom. This line is slayed me. It's something we should all aspire to:
When I die, I hope to do so having stretched my heart to it’s very limit. I want my heart to drag itself over the finish line bloodied and battle-worn from having refused nothing—and with it’s final beat to say, “Yes, Death. I will love you, too”.
Ben, yes, I agree. We should all be aspiring to get our hearts well and truly mangled through sheer overuse. Thank you for always being here, my friend ❤️
Thank you for this beautiful meditation. It has rearranged me in the best way, turned me inward and outward with my heart as the fulcrum. A perfect way to start the day.
“imagine if we were all able to attune to the fervent excitement which the suggestion of new life truly deserves; it would be almost too painful to look away. Wars would cease.”
I didn't get time to read this post this morning, but I have just read (and listened, following Chloe's spoken words to those on the page) on my journey home after a long, frantic day. This has dissolved me back into calm acceptance.
This beautiful meditation, as you so rightly put, has rearranged me too in the best possible way.
Thank you, Nate. Really. I'm kind of amazed that people keep reading because I know that essentially I'm saying the same thing in every post, which is, "Guys! Holy fuck, we're alive!! And it's not going to last! Quick let's appreciate the shit out of all this aliveness while we can!!" 😂
It's how you say it. You make it real for everyone and you find the magical in things that most may just glance over or not even notice. Noticing is everything. You make us notice. 🤗
There's this complex feeling of comfort I'm getting while reading this that I don't get anywhere else. The prose is inviting and captivating. It's like it says everything that is true and sincere and soulful. I also want to push my heart to it's limits. Not spare an inch of it. It was meant to love, and bear, and long for, and wait, and sacrifice. Thank you for your writing! I really enjoyed this.
Your sentences are like rare, sparkling jewels, Chloe. This is one of the sweetest lines I have ever read: "David breaks up smaller branches which have been pruned and leaves an assortment of them on the lawn for the expectant parents to browse through." In 2024, in this world of endless deceit, you have here one absolute Truth: We are promised nothing. We are owed nothing. Every spin is, indeed, a gift.
Working in the yard last year, I heard a terrified squealing behind me and turned to see a crow carrying off a baby bunny. Mama bunny came running out of the bushes and stared at me. "What the fuck?" she said. "Why didn't you do something?"
"I'm sorry" was the best I could do.
If we close ourselves off to the pain and the ugliness, we'll miss the joy and the beauty too. We must witness the suffering to feel true compassion.
Thank you for reminding us to open our hearts to it, to all of it, to all the feels. 🐦⬛🐇
John, thank you. And yes, I think someone rather famous once spoke to "Nature, red in tooth and claw". I intend to love nature for what it is, in it's entirety 🙏
This was a gift. I'm cherishing these words forever. I'm taking off the heavy & worn "I'm not worthy suit," & exchanging it for the "I am worthy of every good & beautiful thing" suit. My favorite lines were, "when I die, I hope to do so having stretched my heart to it's very limit ... bloodied & war torn, having refused nothing." Yes.
Líza, so happy to know you've taken off that suit. An excellent choice. And a far nicer suit that it's been replaced with. Thank you so much for reading.
‘imagine if we were all able to attune to the fervent excitement which the suggestion of new life truly deserves; it would be almost too painful to look away. Wars would cease.’
What a gem, Chloe. I feel I could say that about every one of your pieces, but this is the one I'm opening up to this morning, and so here we are. Here we are, on the cusp of a season of new life, even as older lives are lost. Meanwhile here in my corner of the world, spring is in its annual struggle with winter and this morning snowflakes are falling as winter reminds us she (he? they?) are still in charge. But the grip is loosening, things are softening as you say... the time for new life is coming, slowly but surely.
Oh my goodness, your dear fellow nearly giving you a heart attack!!!! I’m so glad you’re still here with us. And so glad that the only intruders were wanted ones! (Your magpies are VERY different to our Australian ones. Yours have a crow-like head and a royal blue cape!!! They also appear to have a very different demeanour to our friendly, warbling maggies.)
So much to love here, from the collecting of sticks to the love of everything including Death. Much to savour. Thanks so much dearest Chloe. Sending heaps of hugs and best wishes. 🤗🤗😘💕
Your prose is truly stunning, the way you bring your thoughts to life is so clear, and your reading tone and demeanor is entrancing. I’m so glad to have subscribed to your newsletter! 🐦
"I read that they used to be quite tame Birds, before that, but not now. Now we, the descendants of the misguided, are forced to pay the karmic debt of our forebears, and must watch these Birds from afar."
Very upsetting; it reminds me of how wolves in North America used to be so tame they would walk alongside people. Here's hoping that they forgive us someday- wolves and magpies and all the others- and that the damage can be undone.
It's a subject I ponder often. We know our ancestors robbed us of ecological splendor beyond imagining, and yet we ourselves continue unabated with the robbing of our descendants.
One of my favorite little writeups on the dilemma:
Words are also twigs. Sunday by Sunday you are gathering them at your keyboard, building your nest there, and leaving a home for anyone who takes the time to settle for a moment. 🪺🙏
Well, isn't that the most lovely thought.
Thanks, you 🪶
Oh! 💛
💛
I love this metaphor of gathering words like twigs, building a creative nest to fly to & from ☺️
I'm not sure how you achieve it week after week to create and deliver this polished gem filled with so much heart and wisdom. This line is slayed me. It's something we should all aspire to:
When I die, I hope to do so having stretched my heart to it’s very limit. I want my heart to drag itself over the finish line bloodied and battle-worn from having refused nothing—and with it’s final beat to say, “Yes, Death. I will love you, too”.
Ben, yes, I agree. We should all be aspiring to get our hearts well and truly mangled through sheer overuse. Thank you for always being here, my friend ❤️
Thank you for this beautiful meditation. It has rearranged me in the best way, turned me inward and outward with my heart as the fulcrum. A perfect way to start the day.
“imagine if we were all able to attune to the fervent excitement which the suggestion of new life truly deserves; it would be almost too painful to look away. Wars would cease.”
Julie, thank you! So honoured to have started your day with you.
I didn't get time to read this post this morning, but I have just read (and listened, following Chloe's spoken words to those on the page) on my journey home after a long, frantic day. This has dissolved me back into calm acceptance.
This beautiful meditation, as you so rightly put, has rearranged me too in the best possible way.
That really, truly, means an awful lot to know. Thank you.
🙏
You spoke about trust in your comment to me a few days ago (a truly lovely comment).
There's that same trust here, a trust in knowing how I'm going to emerge from each of your posts :)
Thank you, Nate. Really. I'm kind of amazed that people keep reading because I know that essentially I'm saying the same thing in every post, which is, "Guys! Holy fuck, we're alive!! And it's not going to last! Quick let's appreciate the shit out of all this aliveness while we can!!" 😂
😂
It's how you say it. You make it real for everyone and you find the magical in things that most may just glance over or not even notice. Noticing is everything. You make us notice. 🤗
So happy to be noticing alongside you 🤗
Hear, hear. Somehow, I can never be reminded too much.
I could not agree more
There's this complex feeling of comfort I'm getting while reading this that I don't get anywhere else. The prose is inviting and captivating. It's like it says everything that is true and sincere and soulful. I also want to push my heart to it's limits. Not spare an inch of it. It was meant to love, and bear, and long for, and wait, and sacrifice. Thank you for your writing! I really enjoyed this.
Trevor, I'm happy to hear that and I thank you for taking the time to share it. Glad to hear you're putting your heart to good use, too!
Your sentences are like rare, sparkling jewels, Chloe. This is one of the sweetest lines I have ever read: "David breaks up smaller branches which have been pruned and leaves an assortment of them on the lawn for the expectant parents to browse through." In 2024, in this world of endless deceit, you have here one absolute Truth: We are promised nothing. We are owed nothing. Every spin is, indeed, a gift.
Sharron, you're incredibly kind, thank you. And yes, so few truths are left hanging around these days...
"Wars would cease."
Wars would cease if only the entire world could read your words.
Nathan ❤️
Working in the yard last year, I heard a terrified squealing behind me and turned to see a crow carrying off a baby bunny. Mama bunny came running out of the bushes and stared at me. "What the fuck?" she said. "Why didn't you do something?"
"I'm sorry" was the best I could do.
If we close ourselves off to the pain and the ugliness, we'll miss the joy and the beauty too. We must witness the suffering to feel true compassion.
Thank you for reminding us to open our hearts to it, to all of it, to all the feels. 🐦⬛🐇
John, thank you. And yes, I think someone rather famous once spoke to "Nature, red in tooth and claw". I intend to love nature for what it is, in it's entirety 🙏
This was a gift. I'm cherishing these words forever. I'm taking off the heavy & worn "I'm not worthy suit," & exchanging it for the "I am worthy of every good & beautiful thing" suit. My favorite lines were, "when I die, I hope to do so having stretched my heart to it's very limit ... bloodied & war torn, having refused nothing." Yes.
Líza, so happy to know you've taken off that suit. An excellent choice. And a far nicer suit that it's been replaced with. Thank you so much for reading.
‘imagine if we were all able to attune to the fervent excitement which the suggestion of new life truly deserves; it would be almost too painful to look away. Wars would cease.’
Oh my ❤️
Nicole ❤️
What a gem, Chloe. I feel I could say that about every one of your pieces, but this is the one I'm opening up to this morning, and so here we are. Here we are, on the cusp of a season of new life, even as older lives are lost. Meanwhile here in my corner of the world, spring is in its annual struggle with winter and this morning snowflakes are falling as winter reminds us she (he? they?) are still in charge. But the grip is loosening, things are softening as you say... the time for new life is coming, slowly but surely.
I'm already missing snowflakes! Ha! Maia, thank you so much for your kindness. It is a pleasure to know you.
You have a piece of my heart. I give it gladly.🪶♥️
Likewise, as I'm sure you know well ♥️
Oh my goodness, your dear fellow nearly giving you a heart attack!!!! I’m so glad you’re still here with us. And so glad that the only intruders were wanted ones! (Your magpies are VERY different to our Australian ones. Yours have a crow-like head and a royal blue cape!!! They also appear to have a very different demeanour to our friendly, warbling maggies.)
So much to love here, from the collecting of sticks to the love of everything including Death. Much to savour. Thanks so much dearest Chloe. Sending heaps of hugs and best wishes. 🤗🤗😘💕
He certainly keeps me on my toes!! And yes, I think our Magpies have an entirely different sound to yours, too. I hope to meet one, one day.
Thank you so much, dear Beth. Biggest of hugs to you 💗✨🧡
Your prose is truly stunning, the way you bring your thoughts to life is so clear, and your reading tone and demeanor is entrancing. I’m so glad to have subscribed to your newsletter! 🐦
Brian, thank you so much. I'm very glad to have you here.
"I read that they used to be quite tame Birds, before that, but not now. Now we, the descendants of the misguided, are forced to pay the karmic debt of our forebears, and must watch these Birds from afar."
Very upsetting; it reminds me of how wolves in North America used to be so tame they would walk alongside people. Here's hoping that they forgive us someday- wolves and magpies and all the others- and that the damage can be undone.
Wow, what a thing to have experienced, once upon a time. The things we deny ourselves (as a species) are just colossal...
It's a subject I ponder often. We know our ancestors robbed us of ecological splendor beyond imagining, and yet we ourselves continue unabated with the robbing of our descendants.
One of my favorite little writeups on the dilemma:
https://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/why-did-you-rob-me/
Your essays…every single one…sends my being into ecstatic spinning, besuited next to you in a twin “all is sacred” gown. Chloe, you send me!
Spinning in sacred gowns for eternity 🌀💗
Thank you for this Sunday missive from a fellow life-lover.
Thank you, Kim!