A friend was at your show with you and your mom celebrating the life of Fred “Sonic” Smith (spouse, father, musician, and I’m sure much more) life…he said it was wonderful! Wonder if I can catch it on YouTube?
Well, I guess I should read my texts more carefully…my friend was asking me to go to your 11/4 date in NYC….perhaps it was a premonition….naaa, I’m just a dope!
"There's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in" - Leonard Cohen.
Change is my constant these days, as I navigate life with a 4-month-old baby. You think you've find a routine, and she just changes and won't do things like she has for a few weeks. Every few days, she learns to do something new: a sound, a movement, a facial expression. Her father and I just have to go with the flow of it.
I welcome the changes that October and Autumn bring. My father celebrated his 78th birthday on the 4th. I can spot little mushrooms growing here and there when I go to the park. At the Botanical Garden, leaves are starting to turn red, orange, yellow and I feel so gleeful. I picked up some beautiful acorns the other day to decorate my home.
I truly hope that you and the team of the Garden will find a way to save it. This all scheme by the city's Mayor seems utterly outrageous to me. It goes against the logic of everthing we should be doing: preserve nature, even a pocket of it in the heart of a busy city, preserve places where people gather to feel better, to feel that they belong, to connect with trees and plants, and with themselves, to connect with other people, to learn new things, to commune with words and music.
The "Annular" Eclipse is an amazing phenomenon of our time in history. I am reminded of "Cosmos and Psyche" as I prepare to make my way down to Williamsburg, Virginia to visit my recently widowed mother and clean out more of the house where I was raised from 1977 until her fall on 7/7 this year which sent her, ultimately, to an assisted living facility.
Per the garden - thank you for telling the story and helping to "fight the good fight." Forces beyond our reckoning are in action in the world. I'm reminded of a tune performed often by David Gans on his near-daily live streams which contains the lyrics - "It's going to get worse before it gets better but I know it's going to get better." May this be so . May we be given eyes to see it as it unfolds. That's my exhortation to the universe.
Another bit that comes up for me is "Ten Years Gone" by Led Zeppelin - "Changes fill my time. Mama, that's alright by me...in the midst I think of you, and how it used to be." - We are charged with being stewards of the past - so even if the garden passes away due to the short-sightedness of the present, we can memorialize it. This is something I am doing with my late father's legacy although it is a slow process. I have established the "Harold B Gill Foundation" about which I write in "Harrowings" https://halgill.substack.com/p/journal-articles-of-harold-b-gill. This was directly inspired by your writings about your own father as well as your mother's generous contributions to our lives through this medium.
Forgive the length of the message here - I didn't have time to make it shorter! :-) Onwards!
Forgive me for being bold, but isn't this the same Mayor Adams facing indictment? Seems to me lobbying for his removal might go a long way toward achieving other goals.
The environmental approach isn't working because he doesn't care.
Thank you for this beautiful article, Jesse, especially with so much at stake. Your gratitude and love really shine through and I’m grateful for your writing, a kind of corona when so much light is otherwise blocked. I’ve started my studies for the Oregon Naturalist program and have been reading in-depth about the various Ecoregions in the state which are vast. I think of the Elizabeth Street Garden as an Ecoregion in NYC and still hope it can be saved.
Well of course Ring of Fire reminds me first of the Johnny Cash song, a classic bit of songwriting (written by June Carter Cash before they were married BTW) where in a few simple lines the writer describes the whirlwind pain and joy of love. Light and Dark? That's easy for a Quaker such as myself. We speak of the The Light that is in everyone. We often use the phrase "Holding you in the Light" rather than saying "Praying for you". With that in mind, I'm holding you and all those who love the garden in the Light.
I’m celebrating Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, and LOVING how that photo of you with the fresh roses lifts my spirit SO high!!!!!, especially since my name is ROSE!!!! 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🌹💋
Ah, I can imagine how people in earlier times would have found such a sight both beautiful and terrifying. I had a dream a few months ago now in which the moon was on fire, a ring spreading along its circumfrence but also growing inward and away from the edge in fractal patterns. A host of beings like a parade of creatures out of a Heironymous Bosch painting paraded through the streets and I was swept along with them until we came upon a strange, mushroom-capped, treasure-box-shaped cabin in the middle of the city. I was fearful of what may or may not have been inside.
I know, as I knew even then, that if this locked cabin represented a part of myself, my shadow self perhaps, then to open the door and enter was to face a significant challenge. But your writing, Jesse, is a reminder that there is tremendous joy, beauty and fulfillment in integrating the light and dark aspects of ourselves if we but have the courage to embrace them both.
I sincerely hope the garden can be preserved. I wonder what the elderly already living the community or those who would be housed by the new construction have had to say about it all. Here in my part of the world it is the elderly in particular who make the most consistent use of park spaces; besides groups doing tai-chi or dancing, singing karaoke, or playing Go, many very elderly neighbors are often wheeled out by their caretakers for fresh air, sunshine and community. And it's just such a beautiful space, the Elizabeth Street Garden! I hope that I can see it myself someday.
Trailing behind...but here:) That seems to be the story of my week, the solar eclipse seems to have taken a lot out of me for some reason, but I will bounce back:)
Like many other people I am hoping the garden will have a magical victory. I want to try and do my podcast from there this coming Sunday.
Beautiful flowers!
I used to hear Johnny Cash a lot growing up, my mother and father were big fans. Try to imagine 'Johnny Cash Live From San Quentin' playing in a house in a little fishing village in Scotland lol.
Incidentally, Ring of Fire was also a great movie!
It's so good to see how you pause to soak up the small joys and wonders of this season. May it be fuel for your spirit, as you prepare to keep fighting to save this life-giving green space.
Dear Jesse, I’m glad to read that you are in such a happy place.
What a shame about the garden. It’s such a lovely place it seems and a shame that the powers that be are choosing to build another tall building that cuts out the light instead of fostering a space that has some light and builds up people’s mental health.
Sorry to hear about the garden. Without knowing much about NYC's public land trust and regulations, being an advocate for preserved green spaces is still a very worthy cause.
Hey Jesse, I am praying for the city to walk away from the destruction of the Elizabeth St. Garden. I know how valuable the land is, but it also valuable to have a green safe, beautiful space which this garden offers. I wonder if we all sit in the garden ... would bulldoze over us?
What are you listening to that reminds you of Autumn?
Hello Jesse, thank you for your post and good wishes. Always so lovely to read your writing 🤗Happy Autumn and October 🍁🍂🫖 to you and all. I'm so sad for the latest update regarding the Elizabeth Street Garden, whose story and fight I've been following since I've heard of from your Substack and through their Instagram. I do hope for a reversal of this decision and I'm ready to send another letter to the local authorities and to support the Garden's cause by purchasing other tees. Don't give up! You have so many people on your side, I strongly believe that together we can make the difference! 🤝Sending you energy 💫 and a dear hug from Italy, Anna
A friend was at your show with you and your mom celebrating the life of Fred “Sonic” Smith (spouse, father, musician, and I’m sure much more) life…he said it was wonderful! Wonder if I can catch it on YouTube?
Hello! I don’t know what show you are referring to. Could you be more specific? Thank you !
Well, I guess I should read my texts more carefully…my friend was asking me to go to your 11/4 date in NYC….perhaps it was a premonition….naaa, I’m just a dope!
Ohh! :) It is sold out at the moment however we might be adding a second set,, I will let you know as soon as we decide :) Thank you!
"There's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in" - Leonard Cohen.
Change is my constant these days, as I navigate life with a 4-month-old baby. You think you've find a routine, and she just changes and won't do things like she has for a few weeks. Every few days, she learns to do something new: a sound, a movement, a facial expression. Her father and I just have to go with the flow of it.
I welcome the changes that October and Autumn bring. My father celebrated his 78th birthday on the 4th. I can spot little mushrooms growing here and there when I go to the park. At the Botanical Garden, leaves are starting to turn red, orange, yellow and I feel so gleeful. I picked up some beautiful acorns the other day to decorate my home.
I truly hope that you and the team of the Garden will find a way to save it. This all scheme by the city's Mayor seems utterly outrageous to me. It goes against the logic of everthing we should be doing: preserve nature, even a pocket of it in the heart of a busy city, preserve places where people gather to feel better, to feel that they belong, to connect with trees and plants, and with themselves, to connect with other people, to learn new things, to commune with words and music.
The "Annular" Eclipse is an amazing phenomenon of our time in history. I am reminded of "Cosmos and Psyche" as I prepare to make my way down to Williamsburg, Virginia to visit my recently widowed mother and clean out more of the house where I was raised from 1977 until her fall on 7/7 this year which sent her, ultimately, to an assisted living facility.
Per the garden - thank you for telling the story and helping to "fight the good fight." Forces beyond our reckoning are in action in the world. I'm reminded of a tune performed often by David Gans on his near-daily live streams which contains the lyrics - "It's going to get worse before it gets better but I know it's going to get better." May this be so . May we be given eyes to see it as it unfolds. That's my exhortation to the universe.
Another bit that comes up for me is "Ten Years Gone" by Led Zeppelin - "Changes fill my time. Mama, that's alright by me...in the midst I think of you, and how it used to be." - We are charged with being stewards of the past - so even if the garden passes away due to the short-sightedness of the present, we can memorialize it. This is something I am doing with my late father's legacy although it is a slow process. I have established the "Harold B Gill Foundation" about which I write in "Harrowings" https://halgill.substack.com/p/journal-articles-of-harold-b-gill. This was directly inspired by your writings about your own father as well as your mother's generous contributions to our lives through this medium.
Forgive the length of the message here - I didn't have time to make it shorter! :-) Onwards!
Forgive me for being bold, but isn't this the same Mayor Adams facing indictment? Seems to me lobbying for his removal might go a long way toward achieving other goals.
The environmental approach isn't working because he doesn't care.
You should delete this if it damages your image.
You have a gentle heart, Jesse, I just fear that diplomacy is failing us.
And thanks for the Johnny Cash.
Thank you for this beautiful article, Jesse, especially with so much at stake. Your gratitude and love really shine through and I’m grateful for your writing, a kind of corona when so much light is otherwise blocked. I’ve started my studies for the Oregon Naturalist program and have been reading in-depth about the various Ecoregions in the state which are vast. I think of the Elizabeth Street Garden as an Ecoregion in NYC and still hope it can be saved.
Well of course Ring of Fire reminds me first of the Johnny Cash song, a classic bit of songwriting (written by June Carter Cash before they were married BTW) where in a few simple lines the writer describes the whirlwind pain and joy of love. Light and Dark? That's easy for a Quaker such as myself. We speak of the The Light that is in everyone. We often use the phrase "Holding you in the Light" rather than saying "Praying for you". With that in mind, I'm holding you and all those who love the garden in the Light.
“Holding you in the Light” is a beautiful expression.
I’m celebrating Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, and LOVING how that photo of you with the fresh roses lifts my spirit SO high!!!!!, especially since my name is ROSE!!!! 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🌹💋
Ah, I can imagine how people in earlier times would have found such a sight both beautiful and terrifying. I had a dream a few months ago now in which the moon was on fire, a ring spreading along its circumfrence but also growing inward and away from the edge in fractal patterns. A host of beings like a parade of creatures out of a Heironymous Bosch painting paraded through the streets and I was swept along with them until we came upon a strange, mushroom-capped, treasure-box-shaped cabin in the middle of the city. I was fearful of what may or may not have been inside.
I know, as I knew even then, that if this locked cabin represented a part of myself, my shadow self perhaps, then to open the door and enter was to face a significant challenge. But your writing, Jesse, is a reminder that there is tremendous joy, beauty and fulfillment in integrating the light and dark aspects of ourselves if we but have the courage to embrace them both.
I sincerely hope the garden can be preserved. I wonder what the elderly already living the community or those who would be housed by the new construction have had to say about it all. Here in my part of the world it is the elderly in particular who make the most consistent use of park spaces; besides groups doing tai-chi or dancing, singing karaoke, or playing Go, many very elderly neighbors are often wheeled out by their caretakers for fresh air, sunshine and community. And it's just such a beautiful space, the Elizabeth Street Garden! I hope that I can see it myself someday.
Thanks again, Jesse.
Trailing behind...but here:) That seems to be the story of my week, the solar eclipse seems to have taken a lot out of me for some reason, but I will bounce back:)
Like many other people I am hoping the garden will have a magical victory. I want to try and do my podcast from there this coming Sunday.
Beautiful flowers!
I used to hear Johnny Cash a lot growing up, my mother and father were big fans. Try to imagine 'Johnny Cash Live From San Quentin' playing in a house in a little fishing village in Scotland lol.
Incidentally, Ring of Fire was also a great movie!
It's so good to see how you pause to soak up the small joys and wonders of this season. May it be fuel for your spirit, as you prepare to keep fighting to save this life-giving green space.
Dear Jesse, I’m glad to read that you are in such a happy place.
What a shame about the garden. It’s such a lovely place it seems and a shame that the powers that be are choosing to build another tall building that cuts out the light instead of fostering a space that has some light and builds up people’s mental health.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot!🎶
The picture of people gathered sitting watching the eclipse reminds me of when the power goes out and
neighbors come outside and however briefly commune with each other.
Sorry to hear about the garden. Without knowing much about NYC's public land trust and regulations, being an advocate for preserved green spaces is still a very worthy cause.
Hey Jesse, I am praying for the city to walk away from the destruction of the Elizabeth St. Garden. I know how valuable the land is, but it also valuable to have a green safe, beautiful space which this garden offers. I wonder if we all sit in the garden ... would bulldoze over us?
What are you listening to that reminds you of Autumn?
Much love to everyone here. XO
Hello Jesse, thank you for your post and good wishes. Always so lovely to read your writing 🤗Happy Autumn and October 🍁🍂🫖 to you and all. I'm so sad for the latest update regarding the Elizabeth Street Garden, whose story and fight I've been following since I've heard of from your Substack and through their Instagram. I do hope for a reversal of this decision and I'm ready to send another letter to the local authorities and to support the Garden's cause by purchasing other tees. Don't give up! You have so many people on your side, I strongly believe that together we can make the difference! 🤝Sending you energy 💫 and a dear hug from Italy, Anna
🌳🪷🦁🎈🌱🌷🐝🦋🐦
Loving your substack
The eclipse image is so powerful I feel centred and warm heart energy
Thank you for continuing to stand up for your / our green space (even though I’ve never been in NY I’m in Uk) I’m with you all the way
Moving giant boulders takes a well positioned lever and you’ve got it