A couple of weeks ago, a writer I used to know a decade ago dismissively suggested to me (via Instagram) that I was “selling sobriety,” and it irked the shit out of me. Like, come on— really? Selling? What master class am I peddling here? “If you subscribe to my newsletter, I will teach you my foolproof method of how reading poetry every morning, doing lousy jiu-jitsu six times per month, and watching Midsommar every night at 2 a.m. can help set you up for a (substance-free) life beyond your wildest dreams. If I told you I could change your life exponentially, how much would you pay for that? Is it worth half your annual earnings? Of course it’s worth it!”

Something like that.

I didn’t respond to the writer’s dig, but he did make me gut-check myself to make sure my head was in the right place. I realized, no, I don’t want to sell sobriety, but I still need to get The Small Bow to more people, especially people who are coming from treatment centers.

There are more than 17,000 of them in the United States, and I’d safely estimate around like 16,995 of them have never heard of The Small Bow. I’d like to get that number a little lower before the end of the year.

So here’s my request: Can anyone who reads the newsletter help me figure out a way to get The Small Bow to some of these places? I know many of you have gone to treatment, and maybe you, a shining alum, can help make an intro — serve as a “treatment center liaison" for us, if you will. 

I also know there are many therapists who subscribe to The Small Bow, several of whom have told me they’ve recommended it to some of their patients. I’d like to help facilitate that even more. If you are a therapist and want to give some free annual paid subscriptions to your patients, let me know and let’s work together to do that. 

The only way this can grow is if more people who need it get an opportunity to read it. If anyone can help me do that, I’ll give you a lifetime subscription to TSB Sundays and a special shout-out on an upcoming podcast episode.

EMAIL ME HERE: [email protected] SUBJECT: TSB REACH

More stuff below, including a reboot of a short essay I wrote a few years ago about trying to incorporate meditation into my children’s lives, during a stressful, delirious, Covid-tinged day of solo parenting. It’s paywalled, but your contribution helps us give it to more people. Come join.