--- title: Tiny Beautiful Things description: Cheryl Strayed reminds us that within the chaos of our shame and disappointment and rage there is meaning canonical: https://time.com/3735590/tiny-beautiful-things/ author: Shane Parrish article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-13T14:00:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:15:27.692Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Tiny Beautiful Things og:description: Cheryl Strayed reminds us that within the chaos of our shame and disappointment and rage there is meaning og:url: https://time.com/3735590/tiny-beautiful-things/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc79fe10acac08c00/6987838735ba6fa918c078b4/tiny-beautiful-things-cheryl-strayed.jpg?branch=production&width=330&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 330 og:image:height: 186 og:image:alt: Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Tiny Beautiful Things twitter:description: Cheryl Strayed reminds us that within the chaos of our shame and disappointment and rage there is meaning twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc79fe10acac08c00/6987838735ba6fa918c078b4/tiny-beautiful-things-cheryl-strayed.jpg?branch=production&width=330&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Tiny Beautiful Things > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=cd9e2239-72cb-4614-99fd-69ddc478c4de&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 430,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 50.7% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=cd9e2239-72cb-4614-99fd-69ddc478c4de&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=cd9e2239-72cb-4614-99fd-69ddc478c4de&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. It reaches 430,000 subscribers with a 50.7% open rate as of August 2026. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Mar 13, 2015 2:00 PM UTC  Vintage by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Mar 13, 2015 2:00 PM UTC On March 11, 2010, a new writer took over “Dear Sugar,” an advice column on the Web site the Rumpus. She claimed she would offer a combination of “the by-the-book common sense of Dear Abby and the earnest spiritual cheesiness of Cary Tennis and the butt-pluggy irreverence of Dan Savage and the closeted Upper East Side nymphomania of Miss Manners.” It became clear after a while that she was an advice columnist unlike others: intimate and frank, dispensing advice built on a foundation drawn of deep personal experience. Slowly over the next two years, we learned a little more about her until eventually Sugar formally introduced herself as Cheryl Strayed. Strayed is the author behind the book [Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0307476073&asin-it=0307476073&asin-fr=0307476073&asin-de=0307476073&asin-uk=0307476073&asin-ca=0307476073&asin-com=0307476073). I remember reading this book cover-to-cover on a flight. When the pilot announced that we’d be circling Heathrow for 20 minutes, I was the only one happy. I only had a few pages left. In a way Sugar’s advice columns — combined into the amazing collection [Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0307949338&asin-it=0307949338&asin-fr=0307949338&asin-de=0307949338&asin-uk=0307949338&asin-ca=0307949338&asin-com=0307949338) — represents an ad hoc memoir. “But it’s a memoir with an agenda,” Strayed’s friend Steve Almond writes in the introduction, “With great patience, and eloquence, (Sugar) assures her readers that within the chaos of our shame and disappointment and rage there is meaning, and within that meaning is the possibility of rescue.” --- > “” --- One of my favorite letters, the one for which the book is titled, comes in response to this question. --- > “” --- Think, dear reader, for a moment on what you would respond before continuing. Here is what Sugar, or should I say, Cheryl, had to say. These words will touch your soul. --- > “” --- “[Tiny Beautiful Things](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0307949338&asin-it=0307949338&asin-fr=0307949338&asin-de=0307949338&asin-uk=0307949338&asin-ca=0307949338&asin-com=0307949338) will endure as a piece of literary art,” Almond writes, “as will Cheryl’s other books ([Torch](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=B0092EE9P2&asin-it=B0092EE9P2&asin-fr=B0092EE9P2&asin-de=B0092EE9P2&asin-uk=B0092EE9P2&asin-ca=B0092EE9P2&asin-com=B0092EE9P2) and [Wild](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0307476073&asin-it=0307476073&asin-fr=0307476073&asin-de=0307476073&asin-uk=0307476073&asin-ca=0307476073&asin-com=0307476073)), because they do the essential work of literary art: they make us more human than we were before.” **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Farnam Street_**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/)**_._** **Join over 50,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/newsletter/)**.** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3735590/tiny-beautiful-things/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3735590/tiny-beautiful-things/"},"headline":"Tiny Beautiful Things","datePublished":"2015-03-13T14:00:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:15:27.692Z","description":"Cheryl Strayed reminds us that within the chaos of our shame and disappointment and rage there is meaning","url":"https://time.com/3735590/tiny-beautiful-things/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc79fe10acac08c00/6987838735ba6fa918c078b4/tiny-beautiful-things-cheryl-strayed.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shane Parrish","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc79fe10acac08c00/6987838735ba6fa918c078b4/tiny-beautiful-things-cheryl-strayed.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed","caption":"Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed","creditText":"Vintage","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3735590/tiny-beautiful-things/","name":"Tiny Beautiful Things"}}]}] ```