Set in a Roman arena, this is a slave’s triumph through endurance—where the Earth becomes his sanctuary, the crowd confronts his humanity, and standing becomes a quiet revolution.
2D (is there another name I should call you!?) Oof. I’m sorry. I’ve had those weeks…months…I know there’s little I can say but to help but know I’m cheering you on. I AM loving this series and appreciate your voice and what I learn every time I read your work. “Just to be a human being is hard.” I literally hit publish on those words today. I hope today is a little better than yesterday, and that tomorrow is a little better still. Rooting for you pal.
Hope 2D isn’t too weird—‘cause that’s me! Funny aside—my kids even call me “2D” sometimes now, which honestly beats hearing my actual name.
My daughter says, “I wanna be 2D too!” When I told her she could be “[ 3D ],” she chose to be both.
The minds of children! 🤯
Easter Break was a must (sorry for the late reply)—I’m not built for social media! If you ever have any etiquette tips, let me know. I’m clueless there (and always have been).
Thanks for the cheers, because I’m rooting for you too, Shawna! Just gotta catch up… LOL! How was your Easter?
Related to all this: I’ve decided to drop my personal social media accounts to focus on [ 2D ]—cuts a third of the load—I’d rather be writing and doing this anyway! 🤍🔥
How cute your daughter wants to be 2D too! And 3D! Kids are brilliant! The younger they are the more brilliant they might actually be, ha!!
I have a friend I grew up with called Tobe (pronounced 2B) So now I have a 2B and a 2D friend! Fantastic!
Although ‘which honestly beats hearing my actual name’ is intriguing. I’m sure there’s a *story there…
And never sorries for late replies. All replies are valued and bring smiles right on time, usually right when they’re needed!
Social media is draining for me so I have zero helpful tips😅 Even this space here, I need to pace myself. Because I want to honor people’s hard work and words and be thoughtful in response, I’ve definitely had to slow down how much I read. Well done getting rid of the other social accounts 👏🏼
This one’s by far my favorite, I feel like it’s stimulating my brain in new and needed ways. Finding connection here that goes beyond the surface, which is nice! But also, like all good things, too much is overwhelming.
At least it is for me🤪😵💫😴
Thanks for rooting for me too! Means a whole lot! 🥰💪🏼
Saved the best for last! (I spent all day closing tabs and responding... but I'm still not caught up on reading. Yet!)
Yeah, I even have trouble embracing "2D" sometimes — but it feels like a coming home to me. I'm a little tired of my old life and the baggage of people's old expectations. It’s my liberation. I get to espouse who I am, instead of who I’m expected to be. Does that make sense? If you saw my recent "thought" piece, you can get a sense of it.
And hey—it sounds like I'm in good company with "2B!" My son says "Toodie," which makes me laugh.
(I came up with the persona many years ago—but I never committed. And now? It fits the whole tableau perfectly.)
There was a time when my kids started calling me and my wife by our given names.
*eyes narrow*
Has yours tried that yet? 😄
I still have an older reply from you I want to dig into. Once I get a real system down for Substack, this will all flow better—I'm a systems guy.
(Why do I feel like your husband might be one too? His posts are so good! You may be too for all I know?)
When you said, "I want to honor people's hard work and words and be thoughtful in response," that’s exactly what I’m talking about. I believe that too.
No pressure from me, ever, by the way—I just love your thoughtful spirit. I told my wife that I think most people are more laissez-faire about engagement. Maybe we’ll get there eventually! But for now... I like to be present.
Isn't Substack incredible? I feel like my people are here.
Honestly, knowing it’s your favorite makes me so happy! I love this one too—its ("accidental") Easter timing and the Earth connection you mentioned really speak to me too. Grounding to the planet matters so much. Also: one of my briefest tales—brevity ain’t my strong suit! 😉
![[ 2D ] 🤍Story +🔥Thought](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-C0W!,w_80,h_80,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffc8f383-2a73-4b6d-9de9-fc990c4c2523_1080x1080.png)
![[ 2D ] 🤍Story +🔥Thought](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-C0W!,w_36,h_36,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffc8f383-2a73-4b6d-9de9-fc990c4c2523_1080x1080.png)
"Are you not entertained?!"
This might be my favorite one yet. Thinking of the Earth, firm beneath him, always. I think we forget this -- it's why more people should garden!
Loving this series!
Shawna, even this little note means the world right now. I’ve been falling apart for weeks… thank you, truly.
2D (is there another name I should call you!?) Oof. I’m sorry. I’ve had those weeks…months…I know there’s little I can say but to help but know I’m cheering you on. I AM loving this series and appreciate your voice and what I learn every time I read your work. “Just to be a human being is hard.” I literally hit publish on those words today. I hope today is a little better than yesterday, and that tomorrow is a little better still. Rooting for you pal.
Hope 2D isn’t too weird—‘cause that’s me! Funny aside—my kids even call me “2D” sometimes now, which honestly beats hearing my actual name.
My daughter says, “I wanna be 2D too!” When I told her she could be “[ 3D ],” she chose to be both.
The minds of children! 🤯
Easter Break was a must (sorry for the late reply)—I’m not built for social media! If you ever have any etiquette tips, let me know. I’m clueless there (and always have been).
Thanks for the cheers, because I’m rooting for you too, Shawna! Just gotta catch up… LOL! How was your Easter?
Related to all this: I’ve decided to drop my personal social media accounts to focus on [ 2D ]—cuts a third of the load—I’d rather be writing and doing this anyway! 🤍🔥
Just checking! 2D it is!
How cute your daughter wants to be 2D too! And 3D! Kids are brilliant! The younger they are the more brilliant they might actually be, ha!!
I have a friend I grew up with called Tobe (pronounced 2B) So now I have a 2B and a 2D friend! Fantastic!
Although ‘which honestly beats hearing my actual name’ is intriguing. I’m sure there’s a *story there…
And never sorries for late replies. All replies are valued and bring smiles right on time, usually right when they’re needed!
Social media is draining for me so I have zero helpful tips😅 Even this space here, I need to pace myself. Because I want to honor people’s hard work and words and be thoughtful in response, I’ve definitely had to slow down how much I read. Well done getting rid of the other social accounts 👏🏼
This one’s by far my favorite, I feel like it’s stimulating my brain in new and needed ways. Finding connection here that goes beyond the surface, which is nice! But also, like all good things, too much is overwhelming.
At least it is for me🤪😵💫😴
Thanks for rooting for me too! Means a whole lot! 🥰💪🏼
Saved the best for last! (I spent all day closing tabs and responding... but I'm still not caught up on reading. Yet!)
Yeah, I even have trouble embracing "2D" sometimes — but it feels like a coming home to me. I'm a little tired of my old life and the baggage of people's old expectations. It’s my liberation. I get to espouse who I am, instead of who I’m expected to be. Does that make sense? If you saw my recent "thought" piece, you can get a sense of it.
And hey—it sounds like I'm in good company with "2B!" My son says "Toodie," which makes me laugh.
(I came up with the persona many years ago—but I never committed. And now? It fits the whole tableau perfectly.)
There was a time when my kids started calling me and my wife by our given names.
*eyes narrow*
Has yours tried that yet? 😄
I still have an older reply from you I want to dig into. Once I get a real system down for Substack, this will all flow better—I'm a systems guy.
(Why do I feel like your husband might be one too? His posts are so good! You may be too for all I know?)
When you said, "I want to honor people's hard work and words and be thoughtful in response," that’s exactly what I’m talking about. I believe that too.
No pressure from me, ever, by the way—I just love your thoughtful spirit. I told my wife that I think most people are more laissez-faire about engagement. Maybe we’ll get there eventually! But for now... I like to be present.
Isn't Substack incredible? I feel like my people are here.
Thanks for being one of them! 🤍🔥
Honestly, knowing it’s your favorite makes me so happy! I love this one too—its ("accidental") Easter timing and the Earth connection you mentioned really speak to me too. Grounding to the planet matters so much. Also: one of my briefest tales—brevity ain’t my strong suit! 😉