Also, here's a slightly calmer view from this early morning. 👌 Off to record now. I think only two episodes because my voice probably won't last for more.

Happy Tuesday, loves!

Morning CoSo! Folks who read my newsletter won't be surprised by today's curve ball:

After rushing testing to get a match for César's boy, doctors did another exam overnight, and decided *not* to go ahead with the transplant. They're going to scrape his own lung instead (MUCH better: the lifespan of a person with a lung transplant is much shorter).

I'm exhausted & gearing up to podcast recording in a few hours. Very glad I decided on a different wellness strategy last night. I need the reset.

I put that content warning up because talk of fasting could trigger someone with an eating disorder - but water fasting has had great benefits for me. (Kicked long COVID! 💪)

And after these last two weeks... well, my mental health has taken a nosedive despite all attempts to avoid a downturn. So I'm doing an extended fast to try to get myself on an even keel again. (I usually hit a nice serenity if not euphoria on Day 3.)

Health is so, so important.
May we always cherish ours.

We got the worst-case news, I'm afraid.

Now comes the really hard part.

I can't stop César from throwing part of the money we were putting toward him buying his humble apartment at this desperate hope of a double-lung transplant for his son. The money isn't enough, the surgery has high risk rates & a low long-term survival rate, but... it's his son.

I can only tell him that I can't cover the cost of the surgery, & hope that his impossible decision works out.

No words.
Hug your loved ones.

Happy Monday, CoSo. 🕊️

Still terrifically behind, but after being on tenterhooks for much of yesterday, here's this week's #BetterWorldsTheory.

This week, I offer updates on the family in crisis I've been helping (with *your* help: thank you!), and use the opportunity to reflect on the fairy-tale endings we long for (scientific, redemptive, and otherwise)... versus the far messier middles that reality more often provides.

Hug your loved ones. 💙
And keep kids housed.

https://mlclark.substack.com/p/humanly-ever-after-life-is-no-fairy

Fun reading on why our current digital media model deserves to die, even if the collapse also sucks for us:

"This is enshittification: surpluses are first directed to users; then, once they're locked in, surpluses go to suppliers; then once they're locked in, the surplus is handed to shareholders and the platform becomes a useless pile of shit. From mobile app stores to Steam, from Facebook to Twitter, this is the enshittification lifecycle." (Pardon Doctorow's French.)

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

Visiting César (sort of - kid's in isolation, but his follow-up exam, post-surgery on Sunday, shows 50% reduction in infection thanks to stem cell therapy; I'm delivering supplies via his nearest metro station).

This is a shot of the barrio right next to his. These are Estrato 2 homes - the second lowest level, most made by hand with... very little regulatory oversight. Class labelling impacts taxes, so the highest (4,5,6) pay for gradual improvements in the rest.

Our world has such a range.

HA. Oh, boy, do I ever have an update for you, CoSo. ❤️ Another day - I have a translation project to finish tonight - but what a wild ride* this whole saga has been. Happy evening, all!

(*All good, if still very stressful things; this family's fortune is about to turn around in a big way. I will eventually write and monetize the heck out of a story about it. 😅)

I enjoy learning from a wide variety of thoughtful people. Today I'm thinking on Brené Brown's framing of resentment as something that lives in us when we haven't set good boundaries. We cannot show up properly for others when we haven't shown up for ourselves.

I'm coming to a tricky phase with César; after intense presence with his son's illness, he's still overcoming the whole trauma - & I need to shift expectations so I'm not overwhelmed.

It's a key part of healthy helping. Just never easy.

Whew.

Apologies in advance, because there is a TONE in today's piece for #OnlySky. 😂

This is a not-so-cheerful-but-definitely-important overview of some recent failures of private and public figures to respond effectively to our #ClimateCrisis. Push-back from people comfortable with the status quo is our next great struggle.

Are we up for the challenge?

#Humanism #ClimateChange
https://onlysky.media/mclark/four-recent-failures-in-climate-change-response/

And one more. 💙 Tired as heck, but a new day is a new day. Hopefully this one runs smoother than the last two weeks. 🤞🏻

Three messages to reply to today in the park - but a beautiful clear sky, at least, while walking along in the nippy* air. Good morning, CoSo. 🤗

*Colombian-nippy. I used to run at -14°C in Canada, so I'm not allowed to call anything here "cold". 😅

~*~Guess whose book arrived today? 🎉 ~*~

I also have an unboxing (unbagging?) video on TikTok, if you want to see me be a goof about it.* 🙃

*Okay, *more* of a goof about it.

#WritersOfCoSo #WritingCommunity #SFF #Indie #IndieWriters #IndiePublishing

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMYe1Ga71/

(Okay, I got a *mile* in between messages. It's a start. 🙃 Tomorrow, though, I want a nice 3 to 5 again. 🤞🏻 Heading home now to tackle the first writing for the day. Happy Wednesday!)

Morning, CoSo. 💫

Still can't run today - too swamped - but dagnabbit, I am listening and responding to message backlog in the hazy-fresh post-rain-scented park. 👌

Hot dog, you folks are fine people.

Just hit by a fresh wave of gratitude - for your presence, & support, & kindness.

Still catching up, and super exhausted by all this "waiting for another shoe to drop" hospital nonsense (I'll breathe out & rest properly once the kiddo is home), but -

🤗🤗🤗

What goodness there is here.

May it always be evident in your worlds and circles of need, too.