“Keep close to Nature’s heart…and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” —John Muir
I don’t remember where I first came across that quote, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately ever since I re-encountered it a few weeks ago — scribbled in a reporter’s notebook, buried beneath strata of ancient papers on my desk.
Those papers have now been cleaned up, and it’s time to wash my spirit clean too. Next week The Revelator goes on a short break. We’ll start publishing again in mid-December.
We’ve spent the past few months quietly planning this sabbatical, with the understanding that 2024 will be an eventful year for democracy and the planet. But you don’t need me to tell you this; just look at what we’ve already experienced in 2023. Expect more of that, with a force multiplier (or three) thrown in for good measure.
We’re going to have to work all the harder to find effective solutions, have critical conversations, promote the wonder of life on Earth, and support each other.
Look for us again in December. We already have a lot of great stories and commentaries in the works, so make sure you don’t miss any of them: Sign up for our newsletter, which will let you know the latest headlines as soon as we start publishing again.
You can also follow us on social media (Facebook and Twitter/X, with potentially more platforms to come), where we’ll keep promoting our archival stories over the next few months.
And if you can take your own opportunities to journey into the woods or mountains, well, maybe we’ll all be a bit stronger for it.
“The environment we create will determine what prevails. In other words, what we nurture and encourage wins.” —Jane Goodall
