issue no. 791

ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUESTIONS . . .

to ask people is: What is your dream job?

I’ve shared this with many folks recently, in speaking engagements and a podcast interview (more on that to come) and each time, I feel a little shiver of recognition, a voice saying: Yes. Dreams are important.

Every week, we post a story about ‘dream jobs’ on instagram, where I make punny little remarks as I share the six jobs highlighted in this very newsletter. But the truth is, dreaming means a lot to me. Dreams can be cute, adorable, even quippy, but they are serious business. And what I mean by that is: we must take them seriously.

I recently had the opportunity to visit my home state of Kentucky, where I was raised on a farm in the middle of the state, in the westernmost county in Appalachia. Venturing around the big city of Louisville, I was more than lucky to stumble on an exhibit of the artist Minnie Evans at the Kentucky Museum of Contemporary Art. I am still thinking about how she described turning to artwork later in her life, “following a vision in which she was told to “draw or die.”

Part of the work of listening to your dreams is honoring them with your credence. Being willing to nurture them, even - especially - before they develop into something you can see and feel concretely. John O’Donohue writes, “The future of every experience is its disappearance.” The future is invisible, yet we believe in it.

I’m curious, when you experience a dream - as a vision, a seemingly random idea, a recognition of something in someone else that sparks envy or inspiration, etc. - do you tell yourself a story about the dream? That it’s something you should have figured out by now, or that it should look a certain way? Does the dream carry fear? Does it carry shame? I believe we are all dreamers. What makes the difference is the story we tell about our dreams.

Recently, I had an experience where I found myself thinking - as a stubborn person such as myself so often does - about my will for the future versus what the universe wills for me. It called me to ask a new question: What is my dream’s will for me?

If dreams could have a will of their own...which I suspect they do, because why else would they show up out of nowhere, and be so persistent...then instead of dismissing them, or applying our critical lens to them, or putting them under the harsh glare of Other People’s Opinions…what if we asked, What is my dream’s will for me? What do you think your dream would say?

My best guess, based on the freedom and relief I felt as soon as that new question came to me, is that the answer would be some variation on liberation. Our dreams want us to be free. After all, what is imagination except liberation?

To dreaming,

Dor + Tay

photo by Estefania Trujillo Preciado

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 . . . have you ever been asked, What’s your dream job? If so, try asking, What does this dream will for me? We’d love to hear either answer - you can reply to this newsletter, share in the comments, or email us at info@goodfoodjobs.com.

Not Our Farm offers a Guide to Caring for Your Crew in Extreme Heat, via recording or slide deck…a poster on Cooling Foods that you can purchase…and a Heat Safety video.

The Seasonal Slice Calendar is available for pre-order and will make a great gift in the coming fall / winter seasons.

A last-minute opportunity to explore a new paradigm of relationship: Join Ginny Muir for a free open house pop-up for her program The Lovers Collective - this one focused on the concept of ‘should I stay or go?’ (equally applicable to a romantic relationship, friendship, or job). The experience will improve your relationship with . . . everything (yourself, others, the mystery). All registrants will receive a recording.

If writing is your desired mode of communication, consider honing your skills with Ijeoma Oluo. Writing Political Essays for Change may just spark revolutions across the writing landscape.

The world needs more beauty - and you can be a part of that. Artist Natalie Deryn Johnson draws on all of her embodiment wisdom to photograph you in ways that communicate your unique energy. There is no greater gift - to you and the world - than to truly be seen.

Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee interviews Terry Tempest Williams for Emergence Magazine.

In an ‘optimized’ world rife with AI, we continue to crave what is real. Zivar Amrami speaks to the beauty, the challenges, and the power of what we create.

Get your copy of Dorothy’s new book - online, from your favorite local bookstore, by asking your local library to carry it, or requesting it on the Libby app.

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.