liking is for cowards
an essay, some tiktoks, a first flower.
Greetings, earthlings.
Here are three things I loved this week:
1. Liking is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts.
The first time my friend shared this op-ed with me was years ago during a conversation about the environmental movement.
I was talking about how the movement’s popular messages–save the world/planet/humanity– are too abstract to resonate with people. We fight for what we love, and I’ve never met anyone in love with the “climate.”
At the time, I had recently started paying attention to spring ephemerals, which led to me falling in love with the forests I visited to find them, which made me feel fiercely protective of wild spaces in my city and the insects and animals that make their homes there. As my devotion to the forests grew, so did my awareness of the existential threats they face, which you would think would make me feel worse about the state of things… but feeling like my fate was bound up with that of the forests made me feel more connected, human, hopeful, alive.
The second time my friend shared this op-ed with me was last week during a conversation about the messiness of love.
She talked about the messiness of a hard parenting moment where she didn’t recognize herself, a moment where she encountered the “dirt that love inevitably splatters on the mirror of our self-regard.” I talked about the messiness of romantic love, my competing instincts to a.) protect myself from potential heartbreak by turning away from romance altogether, and b.) launching myself wholesale into the scary abyss of it all, showing my belly to the world so that I may feel more connected, human, hopeful, alive.
She referenced this essay again, and when I reread it I thought about how amazing it is how art makes meaning… or we make meaning of it? On two distinct occasions in two totally different contexts (but also, everything is connected, etc.) this essay gave me the medicine I needed.
2. They’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats.
TikTok went so fucking hard after the debate:
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3. This dahlia I grew:
I made a bouquet for my friend from the flowers growing in my yard. I included the first dahlia I’ve ever grown. When I gave them the bouquet I really emphasized how special this dahlia is. It’s my first! It’s stunning! Look look look!
The next morning they texted me first thing to make sure I knew that they knew how special this dahlia is:
I reopened my shop! Tell your friends, tell your enemies.
Now that I’m back in Burlington, I can actually ship things to you. Yay!
I’m also clearing out old inventory to make room for the new–so much good stuff in the works for the holiday season, including a calendar. Stay tuned!
Thank you for being here!
Christine Tyler Hill
Website: tenderwarriorco.com
Email: tenderwarriorco@gmail.com