wintry mix

and me i feel also not so good*

photo by aron visuals

Oh, friends. It’s been a hell of a year over here.

If you’re reading this newsletter, you’re most likely a kind, conscientious, and possibly marginalized person, which means that this has probably been a pretty rough year for you, too.

We had our first proper snow of the season here in Maine last week. I felt an obligation to put on a cute sweater, make a cup of cocoa, and sit placidly by the window. But my body was ailing, and my mood was dark, and I did none of these things.

Every so often I did gaze outside and was rewarded with astonishing sights: wind made visible; everything radiant, softening. The trees bending, creaking, waving their arms, knowing their place in things.

At twilight I glanced up at a flash in my peripheral vision. A red light in the distance, zooming down the picturesque road, its siren screaming.

Now this I could connect with.

I started taking notes, which became a haiku:

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snowflakes landing softly
on the window
of the speeding ambulance

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I wasn’t failing at Experiencing Snow, because such a thing is not possible. It was not wicked or ungrateful of me to sit there in a fugue state and an enormous hoodie with a splash of soy sauce on the sleeve.

Snow is not a job, nor is its beauty any guarantee that things will be pleasing, that everyone will be safe.

This is to say: You aren’t doing this season wrong, or this year, or your life.

Whatever you’re feeling, it’s ok. I’m really glad you’re here.

When the going gets tough, the tough recreate panels from Hyperbole and a Half. Comic by Allie Brosh, selfie by me. I actually took this in 2023, but the vibe is timely.

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not everything is terrible

• My shop, Big Challenges, is featured in Emily Ladau’s 2025 Disability Holiday Gift Guide alongside many wonderful disabled-run small businesses.

• I’ve got some newish punch cards in the shop, if you’d like another form of encouragement, and even newer ones are coming soon. You can sign up here to stay in the loop.

• A sentence I never in a million years expected to write: One of my drawings will be included in the Crab Museum’s 2026 Crabulous Calendar. Fingers crossed that mine is the extra month. Or October. October is good.

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photo by jackie best. i don’t know this dog, but i really, really wish i did.

May peace settle gently upon you like snow. May the final weeks of this s***f**k year deliver us to something kinder.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end; and thank you, thank you, thank you for staying alive with me.

xo,
k

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*For the uninitiated: this is a reference to a weird tshirt I think about a lot.