being alive is terrible π³πͺ
why do the police get all the money?
the terrible joy of being aliveΒ
Hi sweet humans! How is the rhythm of you feeling? Being alive feels really hard right now, probably because we're literally trying to survive, but capitalism, racism, systems, it gets ya down, yah? It's easy to feel really really terrible about the world, and honestly, if you feel really terrible about the world good for you! You're paying attention!Β
My grief for the world feels magnified right now. OR maybe it's always this huge and I just feel there is nothing else I could possibly pay attention to. People do not have homes, police kill people in the streets, We are experiencing a housing crisis where I live in Hamilton, our neighbors in Toronto are feeling the same. We have anticipatory grief of the uncertainty of the next few days, weeks, months,. It's hard to be alive. We are collectively grieving.Β
I feel so silly somedays getting ready to teach a goofy cardio class or sling art, I constantly doubt that these things contribute to the GREATER GOOD. But I know I am wrong. I am grieving for the world, but I am holding joy for in as well. Art is joy, moving is joy, calling your best friend is joy, buying yourself a face mask is joy, helping others is joy. If we hold our grief and joy together I know we can make a change. If we feel our feelings of grief (yelling, crying) and joy (hugging, dancing crying) then I know we can foster the revolution.
A way that I hold grief and joy together is by contributing finacially to a change I want to see in the world. Something that comes up for me when giving is "Can I afford to give?", and the answer is almost always yes. Scarcity breeds fear (grief) and by challenging our scarcity in ways that UPLIFT OTHER we are actively creating joy. If we have homes, and couches and a pantry with a snack in it we have enough. I think most of us have a dream of "when I have XYZ dollars I will contribute a grand amount of money to a charity or person that will change the world". But what if we changed the world in small ways now? What if lots of us contribute what we can to make big change? I like to give in magical numbers like 33 (I was born on the 3rd), or 125 (it looks good). Give in ways that feel good. Give in ways that feel magical. Give before we are ready.
Can we hold grief and joy together? If we cannot hold grief + joy then what are we grieving? What are we joyful for?Β
Questions to ask ourselves when it is really hard to be alive
What joy lives here? Can you grab it? What grief lives here can you hold it?Β
Suggestions of places to give + people to uplift
Defund HPSΒ
SACHA
Aboriginal Housing Support Center
Grief + Joy in shopping
Okay Shoe is contributing 20% of our November sales to Defund HPS so you can get some pretty stuff and contribute to the protestors who are fighting for housing.Β
Also a sweet initiative from Provence Apothecary, contribute to one of their monthlyΒ initiatives and send your receipt in to be entered into a raffle to win a bunch of really lovely things (including the Okay Oracle Deck!). Grief and Joy yah? YAH!Β
I got you, you got this, we got this,Β Β
I love you all,
xx
phoebe
p.s
if you love the online friendship newsletter forward this to a friend who might like to subscribe or share an excerpt on social media and tag us/me/we @okayshoe xo WORD OF MOUTH WILL ALWAYS BE THE SWEETEST MOST SPECIAL WAY TO SHARE ART, LOVE, BEING OK, AND CREATION IN THE UNIVERSE!!! β¨