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Hello from gorgeous cow country in upstate NY! 2020 has been a lot of things. Most of them pretty awful. But there's at least one good thing it has given us here in cow country. The best autumn colors in YEARS! You may have noticed another change. Many of us, as we come out of COVID-induced stupor, have found a deep-seated need to reassess our lives. No surprise, of course!  We are brushing up so close to our mortality! For some, this reassessment has come as a return to something that author Cal Newport has called "the Deep Life." I think that's a great way of talking about it. And like Cal, I think there are many examples from stories that can help us make sense of hardship and transform it into an authentic, courageous life. I talk about this in my latest video: A New 7-Week Email Series As I've been releasing new episodes of my fairy tale podcast, I have received messages from many people expressing how timely these tales have been for them. You know me: I'm always talking about the benefit of fairy tales. But to see it in action in such a clear way, it even surprised me! Then I noticed how much reading these stories aloud has been helping ME deal with post-COVID reality. And it clicked. It's time to get specific about how these fairy tales can help us live more courageous and meaningful lives. Lives of beauty and joy. So that's what I'm going to do. Starting next week, once a week on Monday for seven weeks you'll be receiving an email from me exploring how stories can teach us resilience and courage through unexpectedly hard times. I"ll be sharing my own thoughts, but also articles from other sources, curated for your reading, watching, and listening pleasure. If you think someone might benefit from such a series, please let them know! They can sign up at my website, nicholaskotar.com. Until next week, then! ~Nicky  Nicholas Kotar, Author | PO Box 607, Richfield Springs
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