Caitlin (and Tim!),

You are and have been a beautiful inspiration and source of encouragement, a fellow traveler saying I'm not nuts, over the past few years.

I'm super happy that you exist and that you put yourself out there, day in and day out and I LOVE that you are using the model of the Gift Economy to do your Work. (BTW, I capitalize with full intention because what you are doing is real Work, not just work to survive like so many of us have been conned into doing.)

Next, I am very grateful that this year you started having Tim read your articles. Not only is he doing a stellar job (and yes, his reading does amplify the comic touches in your work and this now makes sense considering what you wrote here), but I'm a person who likes to consume media via audio, especially when I go out on bike rides around Japan, where I've made my home since 2004.

Last, I was just listening to one of your recent pieces and you were talking about--forgive me, I've forgotten the exact phrase but it was something like exciting new voices on the Left, and how such voices will be pushed down by various factions, including by those in the so-called Left.

This felt very much like it was speaking to me, because in spring 2020, after a strong intuition in fall 2019 that something BIG was coming in 2020 compelled me to quit my 16-year full-time job teaching in public schools in Japan, I had intended to return back to the journalism career that I started in the late 1990s but, like you, I gave up (in fall 2000) for the same sort of observations you had.

But I realized that my voice was one of those that would be facing all sorts of challenges and, well, it turns out that the Universe and my Life Path was compelling me to spend the past two years on more of an Inner Journey so I could really ground myself as to what I am about and why I'm here.

Long story short, I feel now, with one month to go, I'm on the verge of finally following through on that move to re-emerge as a commentator of sorts, though, like you, I never know where the path will take me so I'm just putting it out there and we'll see what Inspiration does with it.

Regardless of what I do, I'm super grateful that you are doing your work and I've shared it liberally over the years because most of the time when I read your articles, I feel like, "I couldn't have said this better myself!" So, both of you, keep it up and I'll do my best to do my part--I really do think WE can do this thing and that the vision you spell out in this article is precisely how we are going to do it.

Much love,

Bryan Winchell