Pilgrims & Peasants in the Early Dark

November 22, 2025 | Issue #21

Salutations weary traveler! I hope November, with it’s early darkness and the chill that is settling into the evenings, has been treating you most kind.

It does seem like this season is a bit heavier than expected, the way things feel too fast, too slow, and overwhelming all at the same time. As I’ve been writing, I kept circling back to the idea that we’ve always felt this way, and this article is my way of saying: you’re not the only one feeling it and you’re not alone in it.

May these words find you well, as we untangle our thoughts and explore new ideas…

“Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.” ― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

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Pilgrims & Peasants in the Early Dark

Some stories don’t begin with grand revelations, they can begin in those dull moments when life feels a little heavier than usual. In this month’s piece, we’ll venture from these overstuffed modern days, all the way back to Chaucer’s weary pilgrims, tracing the shared human ache of trying to carry too much while still searching for meaning.

 It’s a gentle wander through overwhelm, history, and the strangely comforting truth that none of our struggles are as new as they may feel.

You’ll find no tidy solutions here though, but you will find a reminder that you’re part of an ancient lineage of humans who survived themselves, and the world, by telling stories. This is a soft, candlelit exploration of what it means to be tired, hopeful, stretched thin, or quietly transforming, with heavy satchels and stubborn dreams…

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