Baby owls are already absurdly cute, as are names ending in “-bert,” but with the No Kings day protest still in the air, it also feels timely.

I’m going to try to avoid giving him the cliche “unwilling child king to noble responsible king” arc, though he might grow into a decent delegator.

As we know, those who aren’t power-hungry often make the best leaders because of their humility and ability to listen and empower others. But for a pre-school show, the focus will be on the silliness of it.

I’ve actually fallen in love with baby owls before, back in the mid 2010s. Below are some of the images I saved over the years. Not sure why I never made one an official character until now, but glad the inspiration finally came.

The next step is to send this concept to a brilliant character designer and illustrator who can really bring him to life and capture some the energy from the photos.

My art tends to be 2-D and basic - which works OK for my stick-figure Perfect Sense drawings (where I focus on facial expressions), and my symbolic affirmation art (which is more about color and feel). However, for character animation, my skills leaves much to be desired - and that’s where the character pros come in. 

I originally shared this post in my Drawn to Life Substack, under the Squishy Blueberry tab. And initially, I felt a bit self-conscious that my first post about Squishy on Substack…isn’t even about Squishy Blueberry(!) Of course, it’s in his world, but it’s not an image of the titular character or even one of the original characters from my picture books or early world building. Instead it’s a brand new character still in concept art mode.

I even thought about posting an introduction to Squishy Blueberry first, and decided against it.

Why? Well, first, I don’t think it’s that important. It matters more in mind symbolically than in reality or for anyone just learning about him.

But also, I don’t like doing things that feel forced. Most of what I create, write, draw, post, etc. - and when I share it - is off the cuff and inspired. And for my cultural and political commentary this approach has worked well. Being right there on the pulse with everyone else, just giving voice to things other are feeling - seems to be appreciated in its raw form. Perhaps, for my creative work, even though it’s not as tied into current events, this method may work too.

Not that I never do things when not inspired - for types of work I need to do but resist, I have accountability groups to keep me on track. But for the art and writing that I enjoy and comes naturally, if I’m not feeling the feeling of the art, it’s really awkward. Intuitively this makes sense, since are is often a feeling. But there may be a balance. Everyone has their own way.  Maybe trying to structure my creativity isn’t something to strive for. Maybe at some point this will change. But for now I’ll keep going as is.

That's why the movement today is not about self-help, it's about community resilience that doesn't put a price tag on your worth, or ask you sell to yourself on social media to be seen, or tell you that the reason you aren't financially successful is because you aren't "vibing" high enough. 

The movement today recognizes that material abundance and wealth have much more to do with early life conditions that are outside of ones control - and then reinforced by toxic oppressive systems - than it does with one's intelligence, talent, goodness or even work ethic.

The movement today acknowledges that a system that elevates the lone survivor as proof the system is just and fair - that only allows 1 human access to freedom and dignity, while millions of other suffer -  is far from just and fair. 

The movement today tells the truth: that the person who achieves massive material wealth without oppressing others is the exception not the rule, and the higher you go, the more likely wealth was achieved by harming others.

The movement today is about emerging from the spell of a culture that has always been built for a few to thrive while everyone else suffers needlessly. No amount of low self esteem or negative thinking warrants the violence we see today happening to women and children around the world. 

The movement today is about true unity across all walks of life - not about climbing the ladder to the high vibe elite so you too can be part of the ruling class that enslaves others. 

The movement today is less about meditating and more about advocating for those that don't have a voice, and walking our talk with dollars and cents, withdrawing from economic systems that are built on oppression.

The movement today is not about helping ourselves. Or that that was even something that was advisable, given that healing happens in relationship, not in a vacuum; and that the judgement and blame placed upon us for our reactions to trauma was never really ours to begin with. Much of the time it did not even start with our own ancestors, but rather a tiny elite minority that's been using propaganda and control to keep themselves in power.

That's why we, the people, are the antidote to the chaos we see around us. A new declaration is coming. One that includes everyone. One that casts off the shackles of imperialism, and doesn't require people to conform to survive, or to work to prove their worthiness of life, a worthiness that is already their birthright by virtue of being born.

Yes, we can look back and choose to see the silver linings, and tell the story of our ultimate success and progression. But they are always just stories. There's no equation we can find that will add it all up and show us some objective truth about a net gain or loss, unless we are going simply by our bank account. 

We are living life. Life is messy. We try to learn. We try to bring with us wisdom from the experiences we have, especially the painful ones. But in the end, we all wind up having to let go of everything. In the end, you could say, we lose it all. At least that's what I've learned listening to Eckhart Tolle for weeks on end. 

There is no perfect way life is supposed to be. There's no deal with God that life will be wonderful if only we do all the right things. It's a learning ground and there are no guarantees. The only control we really have is in how present we are to each moment, and how we respond. And you could argue even the degree of control we have is a function of our wired-in nervous systems that develop in infancy, and though maleable, take a lot of work to change.

I used to measure my progress in life by how much peace I experienced through out the week. And that is certainly not a bad metric. But what if I stopped measuring at all? What if I stopped trying to find the silver linings, make it make sense, or tell a story of some heroic victory I think I need to have in order to feel good about myself and life? 

What if I stopped trying at all, and just dropped into now? And realized everything else is just a story, just a human-made illusion.​

​In this recent phase of rediscovering Eckhart Tolle, he's helped illuminate the answer to that second piece - if I am not my thoughts, then who am I? Who/where/what is this elusive self that we hear about again and again with different names - true/inner/higher self, Big I, awareness, being, presence, spirit, source, god, goddess, universal energy, etc?

Through Eckhart's audio teachings it became possible to connect with it long enough to really take it in and feel it.

Who am I?

It's the stillness that exists in the space between the thoughts. It's where joy lives (and is always living there whether we are aware of it or not). This stillness is step zero for living more fully alive. It is where the ability to check in with inner knowing resides. It's what listening to the heart is all about. It’s where love is felt and grace blooms. It’s where unconditioned life begins.

And it was this experience that finally convinced me once and for all that the most fulfilling productive thing I can do at any given moment is to become aware of the space between my thoughts. Because that's where the best most fulfilling possible feeling exists. That's where the true self exists. It's where the deeper wisdom about what the next inspired step to take resides. 

What's cool about this view is that it shifts the intention and attention for how we approach each moment, each situation, each challenge. The goal becomes simply to find the space between the thoughts; to focus on bringing awareness to that stillness.

The question is no longer, How can I find the mental answer to what will heal the emptiness inside me? but rather, How can I sit quietly enough to visit the place between the thoughts that IS the emptiness, which is actually the love out of which the entire world of possibility is born?