A thorn is a hero.
I spent more time than I’d like to admit on Sunday morning, scrolling through social media – searching both for updates on the current state of affairs and distractions from the same.
It was then that I saw a spoken word performance of the poem Homesick: A Plea for Our Planet by Andrea Gibson, who passed away earlier this year.
“[T]horns were my very first heroes because they did nothing with their life but protect what was sweet.” ~Andrea Gibson, Homesick: A Plea for Our Planet
I hiccuped a little at the thought.
And I realized. I am a thorn. Or, at least, I want to be.
Not long after, I saw someone comment about the “cascade of inhumanities” that’s befalling us right now. It was such a perfect phrasing, and I’m sorry I can’t find the original author to give them credit. (I’m funny that way.)
But you know what I’m referring to. The cascade of inhumanities that assault our psychic and financial and physical lives.
Our news feeds are crammed with reports of masked ICE agents roughing up 84 year old women in Portland, shooting fathers and macing presbyterian ministers in Chicago. A dear friend in Chicago is buying gas masks today, just in case.
Photo by Ashlee Rezin of the Chicago Sun-Times. ICE agent spraying David Black, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Chicago.
Grocery prices are up across the board. ACA premiums are set to go up for everyone by an average of 20% – and that’s before the doubling or tripling that will happen to those who qualify for subsidies. Housing costs are up, while inventory’s down. Jobs are scarce. Child care costs are through the roof. Covid cases are up, but vaccinations are down.
I got my own vaccine on Friday, but I had to pay out of pocket. The pharmacist apologized when he told me it was going to be a few hundred dollars. The woman in front of me shook her head.
“What are we doing,” she muttered.
I didn’t have an answer.
A cascade of inhumanities.
I went to the grocery store over the weekend to get fresh produce and some lunch box items for my son. For the second time in two weeks, four bags of groceries cost $244. At least I’m consistent, I thought.
The clerk looked up when I gasped at the total.
“I know it,” she said. “It’s scary how much everything costs now.” She bagged up the Little Debbies and the pasta while I took on the lettuce and broccoli and tomatoes.
Did I get too much fresh food? I wondered to myself. Maybe I should buy more frozen vegetables.
She continued. “Folks leave here with two bags of groceries and it’s over a hundred bucks. Did you see that soda’s almost $10 now?” She was a faster bagger than I was, but I was going purposefully slow because this was interesting. I wasn’t alone in the economic pressure, as it turns out. And it feels good to know you’re not alone.
“At least I’m a vegetarian,” I offered with a smile.
She laughed a big belly laugh, then nodded.
“Yep – ground beef is really bad,” she said as she turned to get the receipt.
As she handed it to me, she gestured to my overalls and asked “Do you garden?”
“I do,” I said. “Obviously not enough.”
She laughed again.
“Yeah, I’ve decided that next year I’m going to have a big garden. A really big one.”
I left the store wondering about the state of a country in which a grocery store clerk is openly talking about gardening to offset the high cost of food.
But she got me thinking about my garden, so after I unloaded the groceries I headed into the backyard. In years past, my garden has been a source of pride and joy, but this year it’s pretty beaten down. I could try to sugarcoat it and say that it’s because of the weather or lack of rain, but that wouldn’t be true. It’s overgrown with weeds, and volunteer trees, and invasive trumpet vine that a well-intentioned neighbor planted a decade ago.
There’s a lot of work to do.
But there’s also a bright spot.
Because in my raised bed, there’s a patch of everbearing raspberry plants, growing tightly together like a thicket.
They grew from one plant that I had nursed along – and that suddenly multiplied and spread itself all over.
Those raspberry plants grew so closely together that they have intertwined and supported each other – growing taller even without being staked, without being coddled, without being supported. I tried to separate them to reach a (very) late-season raspberry – and promptly pricked my finger on a thorn.
And I remembered.
A thorn is a hero.
My little backyard thicket has evolved to protect sweet things by weaving tightly together, by forcing a stronger connection. They’ve become a bramble that sets out to hurt no one – but that, with its prickly exterior, guards what is sweet and soft and vulnerable from the cascade of threats that surround them.
We are bombarded with a cascade of inhumanities, friend. And sometimes it feels as though we can’t hold all of it at bay.
But we’re not meant to. Not alone.
That grocery clerk – she’s a thorn. So is the pharmacist who apologized about the vaccine cost. And the woman who muttered “what are we doing” in solidarity. Each person who acknowledges the hardship, who offers a moment of connection, who stands between the agent and the protester, who gives water to the maced and hugs to the weary. Who marches, who calls, who writes, who screams, who offers encouragement and love and compassion –
And who dreams about gardens they haven’t planted yet.
We are a sea of thorns.
Not isolated. Not separate. But intertwined like those raspberry plants – growing close together, supporting one another, protecting what’s sweet through our connection and our presence.
One thorn can be brushed aside, avoided. But a bramble? A thicket? A sea of thorns growing together, interconnected and supporting each other?
That’s how we stand against the cascade.
We protect what’s sweet not by being invulnerable, but by being together. By growing close. By intertwining our roots and our lives and our small acts of humanity until we become something stronger than any of us could be alone.
The work ahead is daunting. My garden is overgrown. The trumpet vine keeps spreading. The cascade keeps cascading.
But the raspberries are thriving. Growing together. Guarding what’s sweet.
And so can we.
Be a thorn, friend. Find your bramble. Grow close to one another. Protect what’s sweet.
That is the work.
Let’s get to it.
Actions for the Week of October 7, 2025
Friend, things may feel heavy – particularly today – but you can lighten that load by doing something small – a “small deed” – to bring about the world that you want to see. In doing so we tell the world, the universe, our leaders – and most importantly, ourselves – that we will not go quietly into that good night.
I call it Action Therapy.
That’s why in each Tuesday post I share a few “small things” – usually a Small Thing to Read, a Small Event to Attend, and a Small Call to Make or Action to Take. My intention here is to give you actions you can tuck into your week with ease – and know that you’re doing something today to make tomorrow better.
Join me in doing so. It matters.
Small Thing #1: Share Share Share!
Friend, writers and activists (including yours truly!) rely upon social media to get the word out about our work. That means we are at the mercy of algorithms that are currently controlled by people who are not altogether excited about what we have to say. (Understatement of the day?)
But we are not powerless! The algorithms can only downplay content so much. We can do a lot to spread the word organically, and it’s easy to do so.
When you see something that you think other people should see – “like” it. Comment on it. Save it. Engage with/like other comments. Share it with your network. These seemingly simple things are so, so powerful – they help spread the word and force our message past any roadblocks that are being put up.
Just doing these simple things will push our content into a wider and broader audience!
Small Call to Make: Call Your Senators and Representative – Hold Firm OR Stop the ACA Cuts
If you have a Democratic senator or congressperson, you really need to call them to let them know that you’re paying attention and you want them to stay the course.
If you have a Republican senator or congressperson, you really need to call them to let them know that you’re paying attention and you want them to knock it off!
Either way, the DC switchboard is 202-224-3121 (what does it say that I have that memorized?)
Here’s a script for GOP members: Hi, my name is (your name) and I’m at (zip code or address). I’m calling on the Senator to oppose any budget that doesn’t extend ACA premium subsidies. (Add in any personal experience you have with that if you’d like.) Without these premium subsidies, some people’s rates will double or triple. I’m disgusted with Republican messaging that leaves these people out to dry. You’ve already cut these subsidies and you’re being given a chance to add them back in. Please tell the senator – take the opportunity to do the right thing.
Here’s a script for Dem members: Hi, my name is (your name) and I’m at (zip code or address). I’m calling on the Senator to oppose any budget that doesn’t extend ACA premium subsidies. (Add in any personal experience you have with that if you’d like.) Without these premium subsidies, some people’s rates will double or triple. I’m so glad to see the Senator/Rep staying strong on this – please stay the course. We’re counting on you.
Small Thing to Read: KFF Health News Debunks GOP Claim
Last week I wrote about the potential “death spiral” that could be caused by Republicans cutting ACA premium subsidies that make insurance more affordable for people. In that piece, I referenced KFF, which is a nonpartisan and highly-regarded source for insurance information.
Republicans are now trying to blame Democrats for the shutdown, saying “Democrats are threatening to shut down the entire government because they want to give hundreds of billions of dollars of health care benefits to illegal aliens.”
KFF rates that claim as FALSE. And they have the receipts. Especially if you have Republican family members, this very short piece is a helpful one to bookmark so that you can have the facts at your fingertips. Here’s the link:
And also: plenty of Republicans are claiming that Democrats should sign onto the “clean” Continuing Resolution while negotiations are ongoing. That’s really misleading. Their CR would extend to November 21 – three weeks AFTER enrollment for the ACA starts on November 1. In other words, they want Democrats to cave on their biggest demand right out of the gate.
Small Event to Attend: Safety Trainings for No Kings
On October 18, many of us will attend a No Kings protest. In advance, please learn your rights and best practices for staying safe. If you are a No Kings event lead or a safety officer, 50501 is hosting a safety training on Thursday (but I think anyone can attend) Register here: https://www.mobilize.us/moveon/event/842897/
And please add to your calendar the broader movement safety and de-escalation training that will happen next Wednesday. (Hosted by the ACLU). Learn more and register here: https://act.aclu.org/a/no-kings-kyr-eng2
Thanks for reading, friend – I’m glad to see you here! You’re making a difference, I promise.
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