Staying Grounded, Supporting Local

Holy roller coaster, Batman!

Dear friends,

In the past few weeks, the political landscape has been a stomach-churning series of ups and downs, twists and turns, loop-de-loos. Every time I thought I had a focus for this week's newsletter, something big and unexpected happened, directing my attentions elsewhere. We've had the excellent results of the November 4th elections (yay!). We've had the environmentally disappointing Canadian federal budget squeak by (boo!). By passing the budget, we've avoided yet another election (yay!). Marjorie Taylor Greene has magically transformed from one of the most loathsome MAGA Republicans to a vocal ally of sexual assault survivors and a proponent for the Affordable Care Act (yay?). Congress and Senate (almost) unanimously voted in favour of outting the pedos (phew!). The insane orange menace raised a mighty ruckus by shouting "Quiet! Quiet, piggy!" to a female reporter who was just doing her job (misogynist much?). The insane orange menace also painted a target on the six Dems who posted a video reminding military personnel that they must ignore illegal orders by calling for their execution (WTAF?). Then the insane orange menace fell in love with New York's mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and let him call him a fascist (huh?). MTG (again!) announced her resignation (oh my!). How's your stomach holding up in all this? Feeling the whiplash yet?

Think global, act local.

I've managed to fire off a few emails to both American and Canadian politicians voicing my concerns about a few of this week's main issues, but, honestly, it feels kinda paralyzing when we are bombarded with sooooo much going on. Of course, we absolutely can't afford to be paralyzed, so when it all feels too much, I try to dial my actions in to my local community where I know I can easily make a positive impact.

Let's start with coffee. Right now, thousands of Starbucks workers are on strike, demanding union rights and decent wages (while the CEO rakes in obscene profits). Screw Starbucks! I encourage every one of you reading this to go out and support your favourite independent coffee shop(s) this week as an act of resistance. I don't know how it is in your town, but pretty much all of Victoria's independent coffee shops serve coffee from local roasters, so when we frequent these local gems we are doubly contributing to our local economy while withholding our precious dollars from multinational chains and their greedy CEOs. So simple, yet so effective!

Of course, the logical progression from investing in your local coffee shop is supporting your local independent chocolatier. Or bakery. Or any other purveyor of handmade deliciousness. Our small, independent businesses are such a vital ingredient for a healthy community, but they need our love and they need our dollars to continue providing their invaluable services. While multinationals are making billionaires out of their execs, and caving to wannabe dictators, local small businesses are struggling to survive and still finding ways to give back to their community. If you're looking for delicious ways to resist tyranny, look no further than your local chocolate shop.

Boycott the big. Support the small.

If I'm not mistaken, one of the biggest spending weekends is on the horizon when we are traditionally conned into emptying our pockets into the coffers of the obscenely rich. Seeing as we are not living in 'normal' times, I propose we do things differently this year and boycott the big names in capitalism. Seeing as we are living through rapidly changing times, it's high time we change our consumer habits and how we distribute our dollars (to all who have never participated in the Black Friday/Cyber Monday con - I see you and I'm with you).

If you've been reading my newsletters for awhile, you'll know that I'm quite into astrology (Hey! If it's good enough for Margaret Atwood...) and I've been banging on about Pluto in Aquarius for some time (don't worry - we only have another 19 years to deal with this). The last time Pluto was here, we saw the French Revolution, the American Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution unfold in all their glory. In a nutshell, Pluto in Aquarius is a time of total upheaval and systems change. It's a time of massive consciousness shift when we have the opportunity to collectively tear down what no longer serves us, and join forces to create something new, something better. It's clear as day that the current model of working our pants off to pay for stuff (much of which we don't really want or need, unlike coffee and chocolate) while increasing the profits of those who have more money than God is not serving any of us. The good news is that we have the power to kick this system to the curb (though, astrologically speaking, it will likely take a few decades) and create something kinder and fairer and more delightful for all. As individuals, we can play a significant part in this shift by changing our shopping habits - buy less, buy better, buy locally, and boycott the big boys.

Resisting in ways that nourish us.

I know we're all so damned exhausted, and with winter creeping in, our energy levels are dropping. We may feel like we're losing some stamina in our fight for justice. I sure have been feeling it this week. When this happens, we need to allow ourselves a grace period where we indulge in easier, more nourishing forms of resistance.

Local coffee. Local chocolate. Local produce. There are any number of ways to thumb our noses at the assholes who are tearing the world apart while nourishing ourselves in both body and soul (yeah, yeah - I know that coffee and chocolate aren't particularly healthy, but you get the idea!) and building a stronger community. This coming week - the biggest spending week of the year - I encourage you to commit to making your spending conscious, and making it count. In our efforts to defeat the billionaires, we need to make a habit of choosing to spend our hard earned dollars where they have the greatest impact - in our local community!

Wishing you a delicious week ahead,

Jessica

p.s. If you're on social media, it costs nothing to wax lyrical about your favourite small businesses. Writing positive Google reviews is another very effective way of supporting them for free.

p.p.s. If you are a small business owner, don't hesitate to ask your community for their support. Sometimes we need reminded to make the effort to visit those shopfronts we mindlessly walk or drive past. Don't be shy!