Octobering

INTENTIONS | 10.1.2021

Hey Herders,

October is my favorite month of the year. There is often a day this month when deep serenity and calm stirs in my soul, while watching crackly sycamore leaves float like boats to a sea of dirt and grass. Summer has a frenetic buzz to it, an electricity, which I love—and yet, cannot sustain. If summer is about letting the meadow grow into a forest, then fall is about preparing the nest.

At the moment, October also feels incredibly heavy. The racist and xenophobic behavior at the US border is atrocious.* The pandemic is ongoing. And the productivity culture of work while the entire globe feels like a marble rolling off the table—it is a lot. The world can be such a frenetic, frightening place. I’m trying to spend less time “doom scrolling” and more time informing myself of the key information and signing appropriate petitions. I’m trying to be present with my students. I’m trying to rest more, in between the teaching shifts. And I’m trying to practice a lot of compassion, starting with self-compassion.

I am also a bit behind on The Herd bimonthlies—I’m taking my free pass this round, with the aim of bringing you a well-curated and thoughtful issue in November or December, rather than rushing the October edition. I am still leading a few writing workshops this year, including the Wild Writing Workshop on October 23rd.

I wonder what would the world look like if we could be more gentle, starting with ourselves. Just imagine the ripples of compassion that could emanate. I wonder if the inner compassion would make for boundless outer compassion, and they would eventually reach towards each other ad infinitum, reinforcing the other in a new bond.

What do you think a more compassionate world looks like, starting with yourself and moving outwards, or vice versa? That’ll be the writing prompt, for now.

Your writer friend,

Allie

*Six actions you can take, courtesy of SURJ. It does not take a lot of time, and it does help make a difference.