I knew early on that I wanted to be part of the resistance but couldn't sustain the anger. I got a group of like minded women together and each week one of the women writes 1-3 letters to the assholes on Washington D.C. Then the next week another woman writes. We are on an 8 week cycle and have kept the letters up. It is amazing to know that, in our own small way, we are voicing our concerns consistently and the pressure on us is not so great. It is important to take of our mental and physical health but also stay involved enough to feel your voice is being heard.
Thank you so much for this. Rage is so difficult for me to deal with. I just started to edit that to anger, but rage is Truth and I'm trying not to backspace away my Truth anymore. Finding new ways to get the release of screams but also enhance instead of detract from the world is ongoing work and your newsletter helps quiet things for a bit. Reminding me that cooking for those I love balms my soul for a little bit was MUCH needed and profoundly appreciated.
It’s all a balance right? Too much anger, not enough action, truth without consequences, it’s so hard to get the right mix but trying matters. I’m glad I could help a little. Comments like these help me right back. See you in the kitchen ❤️
If you don't know about it already, check out Fix The News (formerly Future Crunch): https://fixthenews.com/ Their free newsletter is a "weekly round up of good news you probably missed"; if you subscribe, you get more and 1/3 of the subscription fee goes to charity, typically small organizations doing concrete good locally somewhere in the world. March's donation went to an organization in Sierra Leone that is rehabbing chimps rescued from the bushmeat industry. The "regular" news is built on fear and outrage, and absolutely needs to change.
Personally, I strictly limit my "regular" news intake and avoid all social media platforms - maybe I'm a wuss for admitting I can't handle the stress rather than trying to let it make me a stronger person, but my sanity and health is better for it.
I didn’t! Thanks for the heads up. You aren’t a wuss. You’re a real person and we weren’t built to be furious 24/7. Consuming media like that doesn’t make us stronger, it just makes us crazy. I’m glad you drew your boundaries and are enforcing them!
Thank you for this! I found myself ground to a pulp in the machinations of political outrage of the 2020 elections and finally had to make a choice. I chose to let all of that go and focus on what I can control. I chose not to add to the noise and the anger and people yelling at each other with no hope for dialogue - just an endless stream of negativity and low vibration ugliness that only served to exhaust and depress me. I realized I can more positively and peacefully impact the quality of my own life and my corner of the world by positively engaging with those around me. I don’t bury my head in the sand - I take action in those areas that really matter to me - but I am choosing not to flood myself with it anymore. I have to say I’ve found it’s a much better place to be.
Yeah it’s not about sticking our heads in the sand. But letting ourselves get volleyed around by outrage to make other people rich isn’t the same as giving a shit. Glad you found your way off the rollercoaster too ❤️
You are so fucking on point. I am reminded of the first time I took overwhelming anger and placed it somewhere productive. After the food industry curtain was pulled back for me and I became vegan overnight, I was fucking pissed. I was furious at the animal industry marketing lies that I had believed and shattered by the mind-bending cruelty they perpetuated. Those first few months consisted of panicked screaming and crying, and forcing unwilling friends, family, and strangers to LOOK AT WHAT WAS GOING ON, but repeated apathetic responses just made me feel more enraged. Then, my dear friend who had successfully pulled the cruelty curtain back for me, suggested I burn out my fury by mucking barns at a local farm animal sanctuary. That first day of bleeding sweat while chucking shit and hay led to a nearly ten year career working with three sanctuaries, crescendoing with a position as Farm Sanctuary's L.A. shelter manager. Holy shit, what a ride that was! All of that horrific, firey, anger-fueled energy I had was refocused into teaming up with some of the most amazing people I have ever met to rescue, rehabilitate, and provide care and sanctuary for thousands of refugees from the food industry. It was fucking HARD work, but we all did it by redirecting our shared furious energy into positive action. It fucking works! Cook, write, muck barns, VOLUNTEER, make art, adopt, donate, get into politics, join a board, do whatever it takes to convert that negative energy into good! GO, YOU.
Damn right 👏👏👏 it’s fuel for action and it needs to get burned. I’m so glad you found your way to such beautiful, hard work. Farm Sanctuary LA has changed so many hearts and minds. I swear every other vegan I meet in LA mentions a trip there as pivotal piece of their journey
It's me. I'm so outrage fatigued. Famine in Gaza? yeah, join the list. Broken last week by a news report of a child so severely abused, a child I never new, states away. Gods, it's me.
It’s a good impulse and empathy is never bad but damn. This level of outrage keeps use frozen in real life. We need a break so we can actually do something.
I came here because of another Substacker whom I know, and I've liked the couple things I read. I checked out a couple of your cookbooks from my library, I've read the above post, and ... whelp ... I'm a paid subscriber now. I'm looking forward to reading more!
"We weren't made to deal with every problem in the world all at the same time. But you were made to put your anger to use in the world right around you." - This is absolutely brilliant writing Michelle, and such an insightful observation about the cost of a connected world and how to contextualize all the fucking shit. This helped me a lot today. Thank you.
Well my friend, once again you got the gears moving in my head. Now Im not sure which I love more, your cooking or your writing. Both move me and touch different parts of my brain and my heart. I cook because I love and feel deeply and feeding people is an act of service and of love. My anger is what propels me to be a better person. I am forever growing and learning so I dont add to the fuckery of life. Thank you for this piece. As always, you leave me thinking and ready to cook!
I knew early on that I wanted to be part of the resistance but couldn't sustain the anger. I got a group of like minded women together and each week one of the women writes 1-3 letters to the assholes on Washington D.C. Then the next week another woman writes. We are on an 8 week cycle and have kept the letters up. It is amazing to know that, in our own small way, we are voicing our concerns consistently and the pressure on us is not so great. It is important to take of our mental and physical health but also stay involved enough to feel your voice is being heard.
Yes! Everything and anything helps. We can all only do what is sustainable for us. I’m glad you found a way to push back without burning out ❤️
Brilliant and tapped in. I love this new era for you. 🔥
Thank you so much for this. Rage is so difficult for me to deal with. I just started to edit that to anger, but rage is Truth and I'm trying not to backspace away my Truth anymore. Finding new ways to get the release of screams but also enhance instead of detract from the world is ongoing work and your newsletter helps quiet things for a bit. Reminding me that cooking for those I love balms my soul for a little bit was MUCH needed and profoundly appreciated.
It’s all a balance right? Too much anger, not enough action, truth without consequences, it’s so hard to get the right mix but trying matters. I’m glad I could help a little. Comments like these help me right back. See you in the kitchen ❤️
Resonating so much with your righteous, sacred feminine rage. Keep writing, keep writing. ❤️
Yes yes yes! This is so good! Really good point about anger being captured and monetised, which just neutralises it 🤦🏻♀️
If you don't know about it already, check out Fix The News (formerly Future Crunch): https://fixthenews.com/ Their free newsletter is a "weekly round up of good news you probably missed"; if you subscribe, you get more and 1/3 of the subscription fee goes to charity, typically small organizations doing concrete good locally somewhere in the world. March's donation went to an organization in Sierra Leone that is rehabbing chimps rescued from the bushmeat industry. The "regular" news is built on fear and outrage, and absolutely needs to change.
Personally, I strictly limit my "regular" news intake and avoid all social media platforms - maybe I'm a wuss for admitting I can't handle the stress rather than trying to let it make me a stronger person, but my sanity and health is better for it.
I didn’t! Thanks for the heads up. You aren’t a wuss. You’re a real person and we weren’t built to be furious 24/7. Consuming media like that doesn’t make us stronger, it just makes us crazy. I’m glad you drew your boundaries and are enforcing them!
This snippet of that poem screams to me. It is *EXACTLY* how I feel. ❤️
I read it all the time. It’s so so good.
Thank you for this! I found myself ground to a pulp in the machinations of political outrage of the 2020 elections and finally had to make a choice. I chose to let all of that go and focus on what I can control. I chose not to add to the noise and the anger and people yelling at each other with no hope for dialogue - just an endless stream of negativity and low vibration ugliness that only served to exhaust and depress me. I realized I can more positively and peacefully impact the quality of my own life and my corner of the world by positively engaging with those around me. I don’t bury my head in the sand - I take action in those areas that really matter to me - but I am choosing not to flood myself with it anymore. I have to say I’ve found it’s a much better place to be.
Yeah it’s not about sticking our heads in the sand. But letting ourselves get volleyed around by outrage to make other people rich isn’t the same as giving a shit. Glad you found your way off the rollercoaster too ❤️
Yes! It boils down to self protection.
You are so fucking on point. I am reminded of the first time I took overwhelming anger and placed it somewhere productive. After the food industry curtain was pulled back for me and I became vegan overnight, I was fucking pissed. I was furious at the animal industry marketing lies that I had believed and shattered by the mind-bending cruelty they perpetuated. Those first few months consisted of panicked screaming and crying, and forcing unwilling friends, family, and strangers to LOOK AT WHAT WAS GOING ON, but repeated apathetic responses just made me feel more enraged. Then, my dear friend who had successfully pulled the cruelty curtain back for me, suggested I burn out my fury by mucking barns at a local farm animal sanctuary. That first day of bleeding sweat while chucking shit and hay led to a nearly ten year career working with three sanctuaries, crescendoing with a position as Farm Sanctuary's L.A. shelter manager. Holy shit, what a ride that was! All of that horrific, firey, anger-fueled energy I had was refocused into teaming up with some of the most amazing people I have ever met to rescue, rehabilitate, and provide care and sanctuary for thousands of refugees from the food industry. It was fucking HARD work, but we all did it by redirecting our shared furious energy into positive action. It fucking works! Cook, write, muck barns, VOLUNTEER, make art, adopt, donate, get into politics, join a board, do whatever it takes to convert that negative energy into good! GO, YOU.
Damn right 👏👏👏 it’s fuel for action and it needs to get burned. I’m so glad you found your way to such beautiful, hard work. Farm Sanctuary LA has changed so many hearts and minds. I swear every other vegan I meet in LA mentions a trip there as pivotal piece of their journey
It's me. I'm so outrage fatigued. Famine in Gaza? yeah, join the list. Broken last week by a news report of a child so severely abused, a child I never new, states away. Gods, it's me.
It’s a good impulse and empathy is never bad but damn. This level of outrage keeps use frozen in real life. We need a break so we can actually do something.
I came here because of another Substacker whom I know, and I've liked the couple things I read. I checked out a couple of your cookbooks from my library, I've read the above post, and ... whelp ... I'm a paid subscriber now. I'm looking forward to reading more!
Thank you so much. Glad you’re here!
Truth..
"We weren't made to deal with every problem in the world all at the same time. But you were made to put your anger to use in the world right around you." - This is absolutely brilliant writing Michelle, and such an insightful observation about the cost of a connected world and how to contextualize all the fucking shit. This helped me a lot today. Thank you.
Thank you so much! It’s a perspective shift we all need if we’re going to get out of this moment.
Well my friend, once again you got the gears moving in my head. Now Im not sure which I love more, your cooking or your writing. Both move me and touch different parts of my brain and my heart. I cook because I love and feel deeply and feeding people is an act of service and of love. My anger is what propels me to be a better person. I am forever growing and learning so I dont add to the fuckery of life. Thank you for this piece. As always, you leave me thinking and ready to cook!
The kitchen is a great place to think! So glad you liked the essay.