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PRESENCE IS A GIFT...
As foundations continue to crumble (many in ways that feels necessary, yet challenging nonetheless) we keep coming back to the question: How do I make the most of each moment?
Not in the superficial, extractive ways that are so often at our fingertips (i.e. the picture-perfect image for your followers on social media), but in the sense of taking in and honoring the gravity of what it means to be alive in this moment.
Behind the scenes, we are diving deeper into what it means to bring the readers of this newsletter, our GFJ community, together - researching, exploring, and imagining. We're articulating our greatest hopes and dreams for igniting the sparks of connection, while also outlining the steps to help it take shape: to breathe, reveal its personality, and grow.
From our recent observations, what we see and know deep in our hearts is twofold: a lot of people feel isolated, stuck, and/or are simultaneously struggling and feeling unsupported. The collective loss of meaningful rituals, in culture and community, is felt especially keenly as we seek a way to ground ourselves through the inevitable turbulence of life.
We also recognize, week in and week out, the beauty and bounty of the individuals interacting through GFJ, so many of us itching to connect and collaborate in a variety of ways. We know that people are eager to not just type and talk, but to gather, to see each other, to act in service to a greater good. To create and contribute. To play and to laugh. Together.
As we continue to vocalize what we're working on, miraculously, more resources reveal themselves - gatherings to attend, tools and technologies to tap into, curious conversations, meaningful points of connection. Perhaps that is the key to the way the universe works . . . presence births possibility. Once we still our frenzied minds, we become a magnet for that which we seek.
Inspired by the feedback you shared through our survey earlier this month, today we're acting on two small ways to share and connect, *plus* a short summary of some of the responses to last week's One Small Thing...
1 / With the simple tool of a google spreadsheet, we put together a co-created space for readers to share weeknight dinner ideas (or tap into an infusion of inspiration from others). We all have one or two favorites in our back pocket, which come to seem run-of-the-mill to us, but are bright and fresh to someone else. A deep bow to my dear friend, gifted food writer, and mother to twin 9 year-olds, Sara Franklin, for prompting this idea in our recent audio memo correspondence - she expertly articulated the exhaustion of coming up with menu items, night after night.
2 / Another simple tool comes to us through Bookshop.org, where we have carved out our very own 'book shop' through their affiliate program. Every week that we write this newsletter, we're drawing on the co-creation of a whole world of books. Now we can celebrate our deep and enduring love of libraries, and the intimacy that comes from connecting over time with the words and sentiments bound up in the pages of a good book, by sharing an ongoing rotation of our favorite titles with you. Either one or both of us have read each one that we've selected. We hope it will be a go-to place for you to purchase books or to inspire your library queue.
And from your own voices: One Small Thing that made your day...
/ Helped a tiny window shocked finch out of the road and back into the sky. - Matthew
/ I’ve pretty much pulled away from social media. No more posting, very little scrolling. After at least 5 months of zero presence, a FB friend (at best an acquaintance) messaged me to say she’d noticed my absence and was reaching out to make sure I’m okay...To have my presence noted, then missed, and to be reached out to, warms the gooey macaroni and cheese parts of my heart. - Rubi
/ My neighbor down the street in the town we just moved to brought us baked ziti. And then when I told her how much we liked it, she showed up 5 minutes later with more. So unexpected and so welcome after a long day of parenting - to have dinner, and then lunch the next day taken care of. - Marissa
/ I'm a music teacher at a college and one of my students, unbeknownst to me, bought and installed a new lightbulb in our practice studio lamp. We have horrible drop ceiling lights, and the lamp is really important to make the space feel cozy in an otherwise sterile feeling room. A small and simple but very touching and impactful gesture. - Amy
/ My husband got me some flowers and put them next to my bed. This small gesture really meant a lot. - Crystal
We're right here with you,
Tay + Dor
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