Hey there,

So here’s something new: this week we’ve been woken up by a certain pubescent chicken right around sunrise, thanks to HIS slowly-burgeoning crow. That’s right — Josephine the Hen is actually Joseph the Rooster. Or Bunty is actually Bunto, we can’t quite tell anymore... 🐓 Either way, our backyard brood of five hens is now four hens and a rooster bossing them around. Related: anyone local to us, perhaps living on a farm, want a rooster? (Sorry, neighbors. 😬)

On another note, I cannot believe it’s already time for Thanksgiving next week. Wasn’t it just Easter? Like most everyone else in the country (hopefully, anyway), we aren’t doing much — a spread of food with my nearby parents, perhaps a nice long neighborhood walk, sitting outside in the heavenly Texas fall weather, and maybe a movie to cap off the evening. It is what it is, and I’m hopeful that by doing this small act for the greater collective good, we can all return to our large gatherings and feasts next year and beyond. 🤞

A student/blogger perches in a tree for better cell coverage in Siberia. #

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. Continuing my series on the pod called A Drink With a Friend, fellow writer Seth Haines & I dive into Advent, the liturgical calendar, and the sacramental nature of living seasonally and rhythmically.

2. There is always light breaking through — yes indeed. Always always.

3. This reminds me of my own neighborhood near our town square and why I love it so much: is a 15-minute city possible (without leaving people out)?

4. Optimism bias, the power of social norms, and other ways your brain tricks you into taking risks during a pandemic.

5. Here’s a radical guide to spending less time on your phone. I personally do nine of these and they make a huge difference.

Quotable 💬

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

― Epicurus #

Time Machine ⏰

One year ago I wrote about how both nouns and verbs matter.

Elsewhere 📍

Tsh Oxenreider 🍂☕️ @tsh

You know you’re in the thick of adulthood when pretty much any time there’s a bed in the background of a TV show or movie you think, “Ooh, I bet that’s comfortable.”

November 15th 2020

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Advent Countdown: 9 Days ✨

Apparently copies of Shadow & Light are flying off shelves both virtually and at local indie brick-and-mortars (hooray!). Don’t let this stop you from ordering yours if you haven’t yet, though — I’ve been told more copies are in trucks on their way. Fingers crossed you’ll get yours soon!

I’d also love you to join the Advent Community. I’m in there for a weekly live chat, I’ve shared an exclusive pre-advent audio series to recalibrate our minds for the upcoming season, and members are sharing ideas for how to make Advent simple, doable, and life-giving.

Have a good weekend — and a lovely Thanksgiving week!

xo, Tsh

p.s. This will be quite different this year, but my kids are happy this is still happening.