Small Firsts
A Small(ish) Introduction
Welcome to the first (and tentatively not last) Substack newsletter for Small People, Small Things. The theme of Small People, Small Things has been a meaningful one to me for most of my life. It’s spoken to me in different ways at different times, though not always fully understood or accepted (to this day).
Settling on the “right” name has always been key for me, when a creative and/or advocacy project seems to grab me. I imagine there’s some risk in Small People, Small Things sounding like it’s diminishing certain people, and devaluing their output and contributions to their community. To be clear, my hope is the exact opposite: to shine a soft spotlight on “smallness,” and honor it in its various incarnations.
(continue reading here, or you can listen to this post in the following audio bar)
“Have you ever been in a blustery day?”
As a first entry in the “Small Moments” category , this may be my first selfie reel ever, in which my 5-year-old son’s Winnie-the-Pooh reference (a proud dad moment) leads into some thoughts on my love for the classic stories by A. A. Milne, and especially their touching conclusion in “The House at Pooh Corner”.
An added bonus lies in clearly being witness to a rising video star and videographer in the making (apparently I squint a lot when trying to talk while tired) …
(you can watch the video here, where you can also find links in the comments section)
Some Thoughts on War
The following post and essay are well worth taking in1:
From Benjamin R. Cremer’s post (published 3/3/26): “When a commander tells American troops that war with Iran is part of ‘God’s divine plan,’ that a sitting president is ‘anointed by Jesus’ to ignite Armegeddon, and when over a hundred complaints arise across dozens of units, including from believers themselves, both our theological and constitutional alarm bells need to be going off.”
From Robert L. Arnold’s poignant essay “On Iran & 150 Dead Children,” published 3/1/26 (which you can also listen to): “We deserve leadership that understands history. Leadership that respects law. Leadership that weighs long-term consequences over short-term theater. Leadership that knows war is not branding and foreign policy is not performance. / We deserve better than improvisation in a region that is already soaked in blood.”
“Breathe a Little" (a playlist)
I had a chance to rest and recoup some a week ago, as my in-laws Louis and Laural graciously hosted us at their home in Arizona. I happened to hear Coldplay’s “Amazing Day” on a sunny day while my little guy and I were grabbing some lunch, and stumbled into a theme for my most recent music playlist.
(a few notes on this playlist can be found here; and for more on why I began sharing these playlists, please click here)
Thank you for reading, and as always please feel free to share any input or recommendations of your own!
general disclaimer: It hopefully goes without saying that any external sources shared by Small People, Small Things don’t imply agreement with or endorsement of every belief the authors hold, but that they themselves and their content shared are valuable and worth engaging with.)