The Morning, Brilliant Blue
Issue number one, October 2024
A note before we even get started; while I only ever send to people who have signed up at some point on my email list, I understand if you do not wish to receive email from me any more. If that is the case, please just email me mt@michaeltomlinson.com and tell me, rather than to do this at the end, through Substack. I’ll honor your wish immeditately. Thanks ~ M
Also; though this is going out free to everyone for a couple of months, soon you’ll be able to subscribe if you wish to — there are some features concerning the payment that I want to be very clear on before I turn payments on. ~ M
AT LAST! Howdy my friends, I’m so excited to be sharing the introductory launch of my new online publication on Substack. The name, The Morning, Brilliant Blue, comes from one of my favorite of my songs, “One Breath.” Some of you know it from my House of Sky album. The lyric goes. . .
“Overnight a lot can change, You can go from cloudy gray to the morning, brilliant blue The purest part of the sky and the ocean too There you are, there it is, everything that Life has to give. . .”
I wanted something inspiring to be at the forefront because it matters to me that what I write to you is helpful in your life, hopeful and inspiring and just enjoyable. Sometimes enjoyment is what we need most.
These letters will come to you two to three times per month all year. I’m leaving room to see what is the right length of letter for the most people and how often is perfectly timed for you to be glad it’s there in your inbox. The things I write about vary greatly. I love humor and sometimes wake up with a story already started in my mind. I’ll lie there with my eyes closed, marveling at this story or recollection forming in my mind. Then sometimes I’ll get up and write it down and let it show me what it’s going to be. I do that a lot, which is so much of what is exciting and pleasing and healing for me to do. If you never thought of expressing your imagination as a healing thing, well, I’m going to be showing you all I know as I experience that myself.
I love to write elaborate stories in a very literate style. My next writing might be slapstick/hillbilly. I love when I find vintage photos that call to me, to bring the people in them alive again with love and humor and imagination. I love to write memoirs from my own life, my boyhood and friendships and relationships over the decades. I love to write about my process with songwriting and creating in general. For decades I’ve hosted creativity workshops and that will often overflow into all that I do. Of course, my spiritual, soulful path is something I write about. Not as if I know the way, but just to humbly share the themes and lessons and experiences of my own growing awareness. In case any of it resonates with you, I don’t want to hold that back.
I also will on occasion read aloud some of my stories for you. It’s kind of nice before bedtime to be read to — as you may recall from childhood. Well, it’s never too late. Those kinds of short, pleasant, calming stories will be fun for me to write and read aloud.
Of course, my music will be a big part of The Morning. . . Sometimes I’ll include a music video or slide show. Sometimes I will sing for you through the camera and maybe tell you a little about my song and my life and how those things fold into my songs. Early this year I was gifted with a magnificent present from my past. A friend in New England who had played the Telluride Bluegrass Festival the summer I did, in 1990, had come into posession of a full professionally taped video of my performance. I couldn’t have been more surprised. I’d told funny stories about that day and that trip for decades. But rarely have I wanted to be filmed during a show. It takes my attention away from what I’m doing — which is being present with the audience and my songs.
The day the video arrived, I was almost afraid to watch it. Thinking I’d probably done a terrible job out there in the hot sun before a crowd of thousands in Telluride. Instead, I was so surprised at myself. How on earth had I had such confidence? And my playing and singing was so strong I sat there with my jaw hanging. I know you’ve rediscovered something in your life that surprised you about how well done it was. A painting, a letter, a poem or story. Something you built or sewed or created long ago and hadn’t seen in decades. Remember how good that felt to realize that you really were gifted even long ago? That’s how I felt. It inspired me today with the songs I’m writing now. And I think that young man on that Rocky Mountain stage would have been as astonished to see his older self as I was to see and hear my very youthful self.
My point with this is that one of the perks I will offer paid subscribers is to view and listen to those performances with me online this coming year. In order to encourage — or cause people to WANT to become a subscriber, I must find perks and special events and stories to offer for those who do subscribe, while still offering a part of what I do for free for everyone. I’ll find a way. But either way, these first two or three months, I will be offering this free to everyone on my list. You can certainly subscribe now, but either way I hope you’ll take some time to read and listen.
This is a very long intro and I didn’t even begin to get to everything. But I wanted to let you know a little about what is coming and to feel my excitement about writing for you. These are the things I hope you will feel when you read the issues to come; Loved. Empowered. Appreciated and Valued. Inspired. Entertained. Hopeful.
And I hope that something here lifts you in your own creativity. We misunderstood when we were children, when we were taught that artists and craftspeople and sculptors and writers and film makers were The Creatives. And the rest of us were just there to be entertained. YOU ARE A CREATIVE HUMAN BEING. Yours comes out in ways unique to you. Perhaps you are creative in your powers of listening and being present. Perhaps you are creative in understanding a way to reach a person who is troubled or hurt. And you are gifted with something that rolls off your tongue and miraculously gives another person feelings of safety and gratitude and wonder. The list is endless, but I know for sure that we all have gifts and we are at our happiest when we use them. And the world is in greater balance with Humanity Creating.
Thank you for reading my long rambling. I’m glad you’re here. If you can go a little further, I’ll tell you about some other things I’m doing.
Your friend in the wind, Michael Tomlinson
Believe it or not, The Big Pan gave me many gifts. Not only revelations and gratitude, but because of the Covid shutdown, I began hosting weekly online gatherings. They were called Breathing Into Your Life and I hosted them on Zoom. At each gathering we’d breathe together and talk. I’d sing a song or two and we’d do one of my musical spoken word meditations. To my surprise, my audio was so good that everyone started asking me to perform an online concert. “Nope,” I said. “Not into it, man.”
Oh, but they were so convincing. “Please Mister Songwriter Man, sang us sum danged sawngs!” So I said okay and I’ve never gone back. About three times a year I perform a concert on Zoom. See the photo above? (if not, GET some glasses!) That is me after setting up my humble adobe for you. I love to set a mood, to create an inviting space when people are coming over. I want you to feel magic and wonder. I want the child in you to spark alive. So I have these colors and reflections. And throughout our evening of songs and stories, there are these magnificent videos of Nature scenes all around the world unfolding. It feels like an orchestra is with me when I sing and those landscapes and seasons are unreeling over my shoulder.
Not only is the sound good, you can really see me. Everybody has a front row seat. Yes, you can even tell me when a hanky would be a wise investment. You can put me on your big screen TV or watch and listen on your computer or any device you like to use. If you can run the sound into speakers it’s even better. But the very best is when you put in your ear buds or wear your headphones. That makes it better than any live concert I’ve seen.
I hope you’ll join me on Saturday, October 19 at 6pm Pacific. See? Even if you’re way back there on the East Coast, you can tune in at 9pm Eastern with your jammies on and catch the whole concert. You can read more & sign up at www.michaeltomlinson.com
The Works and Creations and Stories of My Friends
One of the most exciting parts of this new publication is that I’m going to be sharing stories and photos and talents of my friends. I’ve already asked several and they are all working on something to share. Some of these names you’ll know from my long history of telling you about them — particularly my friend Rick Grant. As it turns out, even though in my song, Light for Tomorrow, I called him the “laughing magician of love,” while he is still that, he’s also a great writer, photographer, cook, imagineer of the highest order. And the best friend you could ask for. With two incredibly gifted grown children to prove it.
I have friends who are poets and painters and sculptors and problem solvers and just plain magnificent human beings I want to share with you. And over the year I will sometimes ask if any of you out there reading might have something to send me, a photo or poem or drawing or painting. I plan to do that often.
Animals! Fo-leggeds! Finned! Furry! Feathered!
Yes! I have SO much to talk to you about that I believe is happening in the Animal Kingdom all over the world. An intelligence, compassion, capacity for love and discernment that humanity has completely lost touch with.
Ever since cell phones and Youtube brought to our attention the seemingly endless events of animals coming to humans for help, I have marveled at what I did not know! I think you know about this, but there is a profusion of these activities, where an animal may come to a human and ask her to come and pull her baby out of danger, out of a trap or fish net or trapped in any number of dangerous situations. Often predators do this! Deer and moose and cougars and badgers and whales and dolphins, there is just no end to it.
I remember years ago telling my friends, “Someday, when we are out of these bodies and we find out who animals really are, we will fall to our knees and burst into tears.” Of course, with no bodies we might not fall down, but I think the tears will be there still.
I’m sharing this with you because we must pay attention to the love these creatures are showing us. We must be extremely present with all the kinds of awakening that are happening on this planet. We are key, but we are by no means the only species awakening. In fact, I often wonder if we’re not the last. We’ll be having many conversations about these animals and I hope you’ll participate in this.
OH! An important person I want to tell you about, who is out of town hiking Utah canyons with her husband this week, is Barbi Ellen Springer. We’ve been friends since Austin in 1981 and she will be doing the layout and editing and a thousand other things that go with making this something you will enjoy and feel a part of. Barbi lives in Evergreen, CO and she’ll be surprised when she returns from hiking and finds out that I jumped in and put out the introductory issue on my own. First she’ll faint that she didn’t have to do everything for me for once. I may live to regret that she will know I can do something online all by my little self.
I’ll close now my friends. I’m looking forward to the next issue. This one is jusgt an introduction. And by the way, you’re always welcome to email me. mt@michaeltomlinson.com
Below you’ll find some of the perks that will come with all paid subscriber memberships.
MT
The author, daydreaming on a recent September morning
Special treats, gifts, events for paid subscribers
Perks for paid subscribers will evolve as we grow. Soon we will have a private facebook page for paid subscribers, an online place to share your own creativity and thoughts, find out about others’ ideas and just enjoy expressing yourself in good will.
Also ~ we’ll host online salons and chats several times a year
Listening parties - I have so many stories to tell about songs you’ve known
Early notice on concerts, online workshops and events
Special first time introduction of new songs, videos
Audio meditations made just for you
Opportunities to get your own work shown or shared
More and longer versions of stories and Audio readings
Li’l Fuzzy Nubbin says “It was a dang good life with Michael.”
This is Bungee, also called Bungee Girl, Bungita - Little White Dog of Love, Bungesaurus and other endearing names. She was a gift to me from my girlfriend Marybeth in the mid-90s. While she was Marybeth’s dog, she spent even more time with me. Whe Marybeth took a job with an airline and moved to Houston, I agreed to keep Bungee for a few months until her mom could get housemates and set up a way to have a little pooch. About six months later I received Bungee’s papers in the mail. Marybeth had found that she could not really have a dog with her new job. So Bungee was my dog now.
I was thrilled and also worried. In those days I still traveled five or six times a year to play faraway concerts. I didn’t know who would be able to keep her for me. But I was so happy to have my little friend that I wouldn’t have changed a thing. She’d already made my life better in her first couple of years of life. I was married in my early twenties but we’d never had children together. So maybe Bungee gave me some of that beautiful gift of being needed for tender caring and safe keeping. The first time I ever gave her a bath, my heart burst open as I was drying off the skinny little dog with the fluffy fur. I never recovered.
We had adventures together that I would guess very, very few Maltese have enjoyed. We went camping. We hiked mountain trails. We kayaked. We swam in the ocean and in icy rivers. And we walked hunreds of miles through the neighborhoods of Seattle. When we’d get to a big hill I’d reach down and pick her up, hang her over my forearm, two legs dangling on each side, and we’d chat as we climbed. I would bet that over the years, if you brought up, “that big fella with the little white dog on his arm, talking and laughing as he carries a little white dog on his arm,” there were hundreds of Seattleites who would say, “Heck yes! I’ve seen them all over Seattle. Who is that?” Well, that was a fella that wrote and sang songs you probably listened to for years. And his little dog, Bungee.
I’ll tell you lots of funny and heart opening and sometimes sad stories about my years with this wonderful little being. Here’s something; about four months ago I was talking about her with someone on the phone. Bungee went invisible 13 years ago.
While I was on the phone suddenly my crescent moon lamp came on. It’s an inflatable decoration, with those tiny little lights on a gold wire, powered by batteries. In the years I’ve had those lights, they have never come on without me pushing the button. However, since that day, those lights come on several times a week. Once, after the batteries seemed to have drained — they came on again the next evening. I said, “Bungee, is that you doing this?” The light flickered like a strobe, then changed to a slow, soft pattern.
There could be angels, guides, relatives, friends who’ve passed who are doing this for me. But I really think little Bungee Girl is in on it. We had a magnificent life together and I’ll tell you lots more over time. ~ M
Every Thursday evening at 6pm Westcoast, a small group of us gather online to breathe, laugh, talk and meditate together. I sing a song and our meditation is usually twenty minutes long. Somehow, this beautiful evolving group of folks makes it feel like something very natural in our lives. Hundreds of people have come. Some attend almost every week, some show up monthly, some once a year or so. It’s all good, whatever calls to you. I can tell you that for many of us, it’s made our lives better, our stress more easily harmonized and our hearts more open. You may always read about this on my website and register to join us any time. www.michaeltomlinson.com
It was definitely Bungee making those lights come on. <3
I'm extremely grateful you're doing this! It will benefit so many and be totally unique ❤️✨❤️