Photo by: DAVID L. RYAN/GLOBE STAFF, appeared here.
Today, hundreds of young people and adult allies gathered in Boston, MA (and in cities across the world!) for the Global Climate Strike, organizing to demand quick and bold action from policymakers to address the growing climate crisis.
What did you do this week to nurture yourself? If you’re having a hard time answering this, that’s okay. It’s only Wednesday! There’s still time.
Food for me has always been synonymous with community and relationship building. Is there anything more intimate than breaking bread and sharing a meal? It’s why we prioritize family dinners and friend brunches: magic happens over a shared meal. As I wrote about earlier, food is inherently political, but it’s also personal (which makes sense, as the personal is the political as one of my fav feminist theory says). But more than that, food is deeply nostalgic for me.
August is one of my favorite months. Thanks to all the Leos in my life, there’s always a party to kick the month off, and all the joy, energy, and passion they bring to life is infectious. Doesn’t August make you feel bolder? But then as the month goes on, it starts to feel like summer’s last sunset. The days are getting shorter and even the afternoons take on a hazy, golden glow. Fall is definitely rearing its cozy head, but I’m not ready to let go of summer yet (because fall means homework, and my brain isn’t there yet!).
Have y’all been keeping up with the news? We’re in a weird and scary time where it feels like nothing is guaranteed. Despite a court order mandating family separation to stop, ICE is still doing it rampantly across the country. The Endangered Species Act was just severely weakened, putting thousands of animals at risk. And, half a world away, Prime Minister Modi revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution, a 70-year-old provision that had given autonomy to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Despite attempting to run a cooking(ish) blog, I’m actually not a fan of recipes. This probably comes from a place of not liking being told what to do?! Regardless, I think the best recipes are both forgiving and highly customizable. This is why my absolute favorite dish to bake is a galette.
This blog has existed for years in many different iterations: in Google drives and stray sticky notes, in the margins of class notebooks and work to-do lists, in brainstorms and manifestations, and (more recently) in conversations. I’ve always been someone who keeps my projects and thoughts close to me and only shares when they’re polished and ready. But is anything ever *really* ready? There’s only so much time you can spend planning and thinking and dreaming. Sometimes you need to just start, right? This is me starting. I’ll grow with you as you grow with me.
Why now, you may be asking? What if I said that in a small, lavendar room I was told by a tarot reader that it was time to give birth to the idea I’ve been carrying around for months? While that’s not a lie, it’s also not the only reason. I find immense joy in sharing. I want to share the recipes, the books, and the experiences that bring me joy and spark conversations. But I also want to continue to step out of my comfort zone, and sharing pieces of myself??? online??? for everyone to see??? is the definition of stepping out of my comfort zone.
What you’ll find here (what I hope you’ll find here) is a place that promotes feeling good through feeding yourself food that makes your soul sing, practicing activities that nourish and protect the earth, and surrounding yourself with the thoughts, people, and practices that bring out your highest self. Fill your plate, literally and figuratively, with what brings you joy and cultivate the mindset that keeps you planted through whatever life throws your way. Plated and planted.
Plated & Planted 