Hello! And welcome back to the Weather Report! Today’s theme: memes. Nah, I’m just kidding…sorta

I saw a really great meme the other day that sort of sums up how I've been feeling lately, and how I think a lotta folks have been feeling lately...

Now, it doesn't always look like this ☝️ but I've seen this "reallocation of resources," if you will, manifest in a variety of ways. Some of us can create, but we're burning out faster, or we're turning things in late, or we're dropping balls we've been juggling successfully for years (I think I'm averaging 2 daily walks per week...👀...and I can't remember the last time I got a full night's sleep). While others of us have begun to seriously wonder if we're "really a writer/really a painter/really a good parent/really a [fill in the blank]," because all our time, effort, and energy is going into keeping whatever balls we've still got airborne from slipping through our fingers and shattering to bits all around us.

Because at the end of the day, we all have to tick the SURVIVAL BOX ✅, before we can tick the CREATIVE/OTHER box ✅.

But "SURVIVAL" is tricky, it can mean a myriad of things: Bear Grylls drinking his own piss, the grad-to-be not flunking math class, Joe Whoever just making it through another day... So, let's simplify things, go back to good ol' Bio 101, wherein "surviving" is simply the ability to continue living and functioning within a given environment.

Now, I'm not gonna talk about our current collective environment this time around...🫠 Capacity too low (see meme). But I am gonna introduce a topic that's been sloshing about in my brain since the moment I saw that meme ☝️.

Musing of the Month: Resistance vs Resilience

Ever heard of the ecological concept of "resistance versus resilience?" It's this idea that there are really only two ways to survive: 1) don't get knocked down, or 2) figure out how to get back up when you do.

In nature, we can see this play out pretty simplistically. For example, ponderosa pines are rather resistant to wildfires, meaning they don't burn easily and can survive some fires with only damaged bark, while lodgepole pines burn down in a snap, but have extremely resilient cones (that open in high heat and germinate quickly). Both methods work great. Both methods achieve SURVIVAL. Huzzah!

Rarely, however, do species rely on just one method. Ponderosas can grow back, they just won't do so as quickly as lodgepoles. Lodgepoles can survive a fire, but are less likely to do so than their neighboring ponderosas.

Insert ecological concept numero dos: "there's no such thing as a free lunch." Thanks Milton Friedman for that obscure statement (yes, he's an economist, but the ecologists borrowed it, it's fine, chill). Basically, what it means with regards to individual species, is that organisms, much like DnD characters, can't stack the deck. To be great at some things, you've gotta forfeit being great at other things. No flame-resistant, resilient-coned super trees allowed.

Why? 'Cause it's EXPENSIVE! It takes time, effort, and energy to make super resistant bark OR super resilient cones. Most of us...oops, I mean, most trees simply can't do it all. Some have a natural affinity for withstanding, then struggle when they fall. Others have a natural affinity for recovery...

Now, you may have already guessed this, but I'm a Resistance > Resilience Girlie through and through. I would SOOO much rather not fall and keep muscling my way through the grit and the grime of life, than get knocked down and have to ... ugh 🤢... take care of myself. I mean, it's a no-brainer, right? Let's skip the drama and JUST KEEP GOING.

Yeah, sounds great on paper... But when your Resistance Stats are high ⬆️, your Resiliency Stats are low ⬇️.

Fun fact: this is my eighth newsletter since starting the Weather Report 🤗 and not one letter has matched my initial vision for the project 🫠. Instead of deep-diving into the writing process and exploring the ins and outs of editing, I've written about super fun topics like world crises, existential dread, and (wow, we're really boiling things down now) survival...🫠(there really needs to be a fully puddle-ified emoji). But I think it's because, like that initial meme suggests, it's hard to focus on CREATIVE/OTHER endeavors when so much of our headspace is being consumed by SURVIVAL.

I've had more anxiety/panic attacks in the last eight months than I've had in the last few years. My partner and I have the "what the fuck are we gonna do?" chat at least once a week. And I keep getting these weird illnesses that take FOREVER to resolve. Hell, even old injuries from my college gymnastics days are creeping back into my life! It's ridiculous. (Okay, that one may just be because I'm getting old, but still. It's been...funky, to say the least).

And, I won't tease apart the causes, we all know the causes: Dump, flittering hopes, unfulfilled dreams, being on sub (yes, my sub timeline and the US's downfall timeline are freakishly overlapped. Can you say system overload?). But, I will say, this need for resiliency has gotten me thinking...

What if I could up my Resiliency Stats? What if when I crashed, I didn't crash so hard?

It's not so inconceivable that if I nurture and hone my recovery skills, that I'll get better at recovering, right?

But again, "there's no such thing as a free lunch." If I want to get better at recovering, I likely need to forfeit some of the time, effort, and energy I spend fighting for my life.

In practice, this would probably look like saying no to reading SOOO many beta reads, and perhaps saying yes to more social events that refill my cup. No to taking on so many projects all at once, and yes to allowing myself more time to finish the ones I'm most invested in. No to saturating my brain with the news, and yes to focusing on the handful of ways I can actually show up for my community and support those in need around me.

Damn, I've written out three examples and already my throat's closing up. The FAILURE lights are flashing red and, OMG, did the neck of my personal hourglass just grow three sizes?

I want to delete these words, un-entertain these ideas, and...resist change. 'Cause I'm a Resistance > Resilience Girlie through and through...

But I also want to not hit a wall at the end of every day. Or take so much Tylenol to mask the headaches (and, if it wouldn't mind, the knee pain too). I want to enjoy French class again, instead of viewing it as a bi-weekly obstacle I can't get around. I want to cuddle my cats without feeling guilty for not being productive.

I want to be more resilient.

Now, maybe more than ever (at least in my lifetime), resiliency is key. Because there is no "not getting knocked down," not if you're putting forth your creative work, not if you're invested in preserving natural resources, not if your head and your heart go out too all those suffering across the planet. Rejection, and loss, and devastation are going to hit, and they're going to hit hard.

So, here's to investing in resiliency. To nurturing kinder, gentler habits, and maybe reallocating some of that "need to win RIGHT NOW" energy into "need to rest right now, or recover right now, or reevaluate right now" efforts.

The Weather (stuff…at a glance):

📃Current WIP(s):🧬Project EG - stabby, sapphic sci-fi/dystopian; 🪷Project SATC - chem-punk, portal sci-fi/fantasy.

📈WIP status(es): Reading through Draft 4 of 🧬Project EG now and hoping to ship her to betas/Agent Des this weekend! 🪷Project SATC... on sub... still... tbh, I'm losing hope...

📚Current read(s): Nothing. Last month I think I shared four "current reads" I was really enjoying, this WEEK alone I've DNF-ed four books...so...yeah... Dang it, where's that puddle emoji?

✨ Other: I got another tattoo chunk inked yesterday 😈🖤; my sleeves looking more sleeve-y!!

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Rain’s Random Recs:

📘: ❤️‍🔥 Legendborn by Tracy Deonn — okay, so I was a little on the fence with this one because anything with callbacks to the knights of the round table is usually a hard pass for me, BUT Deonn pulled it off with a killer cast, fun new magical twists, and spot-on commentary/parallels regarding critical race theory. Totally worth the read and now I can't wait for book 2.

🎥: 🧟 Forty Acres starring Danielle Deadwyler — Not a zombie flick, despite my emoji choice... The emoji I need doesn't exist...and for good reason. Basically, this was me during the whole film:

🎵: 📛 Went to a Fever 333 concert a couple days ago! So so SOOO good! Now I can't stop listening to them AND have become obsessed with their opener: Fire From the Gods. I'd never heard of them prior to the show, but now that I have it's time to deep dive. Also, their current lead singer, Myke Terry, is out of this world talented! Holy smokes! Definitely have a listen.

Alright, that's it from me today. Have a fabulous August! Thank you for reading! Big hugs! Questions/feedback/thoughts/requests always welcome! And maybe, if you feel like you're in a similar boat as me, lean into resiliency over resistance this time around.

XOXO,

Rain ☔ she/her