Stubborn light
Helping Friendly Newsletter, 02.13.26
Early this month, on a cold winter morning, having just consumed another dose of bitter political news, I came across this gentle invitation from Amy Cowen at Illustrated Life:
Name “one word that captures the light outside your window.”
“We’ll see,” I grumped, sipping my coffee for edification.
Still, I peeked outside and found the sun rising strong above bare maples and dogwoods, creating both sparkle and shadow on the icy ground. It indicated none of the doubt I’ve been feeling lately and instead announced its presence with the steady confidence of an ancient one.
The light, of course, had been there all along. Even through the dark of night, it never left. Of course it would shine on.
That stubborn light is everywhere. It is literally the center of our solar system, and from there it courses through every aspect of life on this planet:
From the harsh glare of a bright afternoon, to tonight’s waning crescent moon. Flying with birdsong on a cool breeze, and rippling across the open seas.
Shining through the prism of so many folks doing real, tangible good. Embodied in resistance to fascism and dehumanization. Hiding in plain sight at potlucks and polling places, hospitals and high schools, bodegas and ballgames.
Even in the grief that brings us low, and certainly in the joy that lifts our spirits, the sun does rise.
In this, it will brook no compromise; it always finds a way. Day after day, after year after century, the stubborn light abides.
Here are this fortnight’s 5 things to consider:
1.
Morning light. Stubborn as hell.
2.
Winter sunset, absolutely obstinate. Always insisting on beauty.
3.
Full snow moon, solid and strong.
4.
Hearth light, ever faithful.
5.
木漏れ日 Komorebi: “sunlight leaking through trees.” Enlivened by obstruction, unruffled by impermanence.
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë.
After slogging through this classic’s opening chapters, I eventually found my groove. What a soap opera! I hadn’t read it before and was surprised to find myself inside a gothic tragedy rather than a romance.
I let it do its work on me, as classics will, and discovered a raw connection to the anger boiling in me around current events, particularly the Epstein crimes. Will powerful men ever stop treating women and children as fungible property? Thank goodness for the fiery women who wrestled this story back from its villains against great odds, and for the comic relief of Nelly the narrator’s reliably bad decisions.
Ultimately, I appreciated this page-turner not for its characters or even its much proclaimed moors, but because its author gave readers nowhere to hide. The book is unhinged, and it is honest. Brontë wrote towards the pain of grief, domestic trauma, patriarchy, and xenophobia; and she did not sugarcoat the brutality. There isn’t much hope at the Heights, and I found very little love in these pages, but I do respect the author’s unflinching gaze. LIKED A LOT
P.S. If you are also reading WH this season, I’m sure you know that a new film adaptation starring Barbie is out in theaters. The trailer’s swoonworthy vibe seems way off to me, but I love Margot Robbie and will definitely see it.
P.P.S. You may also enjoy this musing on Healthcliff’s gap year jobs.
Commerce Street Books will host a Wuthering Heights book club on February 24. My colleague Austin Fey is leading this free event, but I just signed up to participate and am excited to discuss the story in community. We’d love to see you there!
ICYMI, last fortnight we were tending the flame.
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Have a great weekend, and happy Valentine’s Day!
I’ll see you in your inbox again soon.
Peace,
I remember the light prompt! My answer was "contagious" because we had a fresh coat of snow and the trees were encased in ice, so the sunlight caught on pretty much everything! But I like "stubborn" and totally agree, the light will endure no matter how deep the night. ☀️
When I read Wuthering Heights several years ago, the toughest part for me was the--I think he was the butler? Who talked in a thick Scottish accent that was written out phonetically? I had to do my Uncle Scrooge voice in my head to understand any of that! 🤣🎩🦆