Life Is a Patchwork
where participation is the point
issue no. 786
YESTERDAY, MY GRANDMOTHER TURNED 92 YEARS YOUNG . . .
As I write this, I am at my parent’s house, looking across the room to a patchwork quilt, with blues and greens inspired by the ocean, that she made my mom many years ago. It's one of over a hundred masterpieces she made, in honor of various celebrations . . . graduations, babies born, weddings, or new homes, for her three children, six grandchildren, fifteen great-grandchildren, and many of our friends along the way.
Yesterday, she gifted a bunch of her fabric collection to our six-year-old kiddo, insisting that she can’t possibly use up all that she has stashed away in her remaining days in the physical world. But what strikes me more than anything is that despite having a rigorous practice of sewing and knitting for many decades beforehand, she didn’t start quilting in earnest until her 60’s. It gives me hope for all of the new skills I have yet to develop, all of the masterpieces I have yet to create.
In late May, I had the great pleasure to participate in a gathering called Patchwork to Nowhere. The hosts conceived of this practice as a means of getting small groups of people together to play, engage in their senses, and create with no particular purpose in mind. They share their tools, their scraps, and their expertise . . . and together everyone weaves magic, beauty and joy. In a world that eats up our attention, only something so simple and fundamental can truly break through and touch the parts of our soul that crave this kind of connection.
The drive to create and to share can come in many forms: baking a cake to share with a few friends, growing baskets full of garden goodies to drop on your neighbors doorsteps, learning a dance or song to perform for others, mending your clothes in a way that makes each garment a one-of-a-kind piece of art that others can appreciate with each wear, or extending an invitation to a friend to walk in the woods or watch the waves roll. These acts entertain and inspire. They fill us all with awe and with love.
Here’s to the art of living, and all of the creations that you contribute along the way, just by being you.
To making your patchwork,
Tay + Dor
One of the only newsletters I honestly enjoy reading.
- Chai
tidbits...
resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we’re reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . .
Do One Small Thing . . . what are you and yours creating these days? We always love to hear what moves you. Reply to this newsletter, share in the comments, or email us at info@goodfoodjobs.com to let us know.
Toi Smith creates some of the most essential learning opportunities of our time, and Not a Good Woman is no exception. From her latest newsletter: “Here is what I want us to hold onto: people don’t control what isn’t valuable. The intensity of that control — the witch hunts, the colonial imposition, the centuries of legal and social violence — is itself evidence of how much power resides in the female body. They didn’t go to all that trouble for nothing.”
May the model of community forest take off. For those local to the Hudson Valley join the Taghkanic Community Forest at their opening this Saturday June 6th 10 AM - 3 PM.
"In the minority world, more and more people are thinking about the affordability crisis as a way of re-articulating demands on the state." - A Growing Culture interviews Raj Patel on the energy crisis and its impact on food.
Lisa Olivera reminds us of the tenderness of receiving. Should her writing resonate, the best way to support her work is to read her latest book When the Ache Remains: Lessons on Tending to the Unfixable and Finding Beauty Anyway.
Perhaps the most important work of our times is to build our relational skills so that we can be in community together. Christabel Mintah-Galloway leads the way with this Relations Skills Toolkit.
Our many musings on grief led us to a dear email pen pal named Amy Kimmel. While we originally connected on the loss of mother figures (her Mom and my Mother-in-law both died of cancer in the last few years), Amy continues to inspire us with her own story about living life.
Anne Lamotte on David Roche and his Church of 80% Sincerity.
"The triggers that are coming from our current environment are bringing childhood traumatic emotions to a new level." Elisabeth Corey on how the specific patterns of an oppressive government impact people who have survived childhood trauma.
Alexandra Marvar on “invasivorism” - how chefs are teaming up to turn marine invaders into dinner.
Dor’s first book, Imagine a Woman, is now available for pre-order. See a preview of the Table of Contents, and read a brand new poem from the book in the latest issue of What the Wolf Wore.
Do you love poetry? Have a book club where you already read poetry collections, or would like to? Interested in having Dor drop in - virtually or in-person depending on locale - for a book club discussion? Reach out and let us know.
View and share this free guide to How to Write a More Equitable Job Post, and stay tuned for new resources to deepen this work.
got a tidbit? drop it here for us and we’ll share it in next week’s newsletter.
GOOD FOOD JOBS has been satisfying the hunger for meaningful work since 2010
This is so sweet and beautiful….i want to put it somewhere and remember where so that I can access it forever!!! What a beauitufl reminder of the joy and inspiration of coming together!!