Everyone wants to feel like their work holds purpose, that they’re making a difference to someone somewhere. 
 

It’s for this reason that I reached out to Good Food Jobs in the Fall. For the first time since subscribing to this newsletter in 2012, I felt compelled to send a note of appreciation from one small business owner to another. Taylor and Dorothy’s recent, consistent interrogation of racial equity and their willingness to listen and unlearn out loud resonated with me. “I really feel seen these days,” I wrote. “And I appreciate your vulnerability.” 
 

Like many businesses last year, Good Food Jobs was motivated to do the work of self-reflection following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. When you consider the lives lost, the relentless violence against Black and Brown bodies, a newsletter is admittedly inconsequential. But if this weekly ritual can change after this many years and make me, a queer Black woman, begin to feel seen, imagine what else we can catalyze with commitments to listen and learn, to leverage our platforms, to do the internal work of social change?
 

If you’re in a space of self-reflection, contemplating the past year and near future, ask yourself, “What will I do differently this year to advance our collective health and wellness?" 
 

Nearly 189 million Americans say they’re determined to learn something new, make a lifestyle change, or set a personal goal to better themselves in 2021. Shed 10 pounds or exercise daily. Eat healthier foods or save more money. These are typical goals. But we’re not in the habit, culturally, of making individual resolutions like, “I’m going to build my anti-racism practice.” Or “I will create more inclusive work environments with fair and just policies, practices, and wages.” Or “I’m going to be a better listener and let go of my need to be the arbiter of all things.” Or “I’m going to treat Black people with dignity and respect.” 
 

We’re not a culture that typically steps back to ask how the individualism of self-care affects the wellbeing of others. Not even COVID-19, which has at the time of this writing taken 1.92 million lives globally, could change that. 
 

Yes, we’re fortunate to have survived 2020, to have the luxury of reading a newsletter while considering our plans for the year ahead. However, the work of building a healthier world, one that is just and fair for all — for you, for me, for us — is ongoing. Like any wellness practice, it requires endurance, stamina, care, and devotion. It demands that we understand our interconnectedness and interdependence, that we all exist here together. As the curator Rujeko Hockley writes, “Individually, we are asleep; together we are awake . . . The pandemic forced us to slow down, to process the truths it revealed, and to confront uncertain new realities. Now, though it is far from over, we must continue the work and awaken within ourselves.” 
 

Here are some ideas for how to do that:

• Take amazing care of yourself. When you’re not well it’s hard to sustain any type of work or be the type of person you want to be. Make sure you’re getting the food, sleep, and love you need.
   

• Hold up a mirror and ask yourself how your daily actions (or lack of) contribute to social inequities in your home, workplace, community, and beyond. This is the first step to change. 
   

• Eat like someone else’s life depends on it. This probably goes without saying, but your food choices shape more than your figure. Support businesses that treat and pay workers fairly.
   

• Join a new community. True empathy requires proximity. Find new ways to be in community (even digitally) with people who are unlike you. And be a student, not the teacher when you get there.
   

• Get and stay educated. Do the work to understand how the pandemic is affecting Black, Brown, and LGBTQIA2S+ communities and the systems that create inequalities in healthcare.
   

• Extend a hand and handle people with care. If you’re in a good place, make a commitment to help someone who wants to be where you are. 
   

• Practice anti-racism 365 days a year. Do something every day until actively opposing racism becomes who you are, not what you did one day.
   

Nicole J. Caruth is a writer, curator, and the owner of Hustle Well, a health coaching practice serving anyone in the creative hustle.You can find her on instagram @ihustlewell.
 

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GFJ has partnered with Hustle Well to give away two 90-minute coaching sessions, each one a $150 value. Nicole will work with you one-on-one via Zoom to create a 30-day wellness plan tailored to you.
 

To enter the giveaway, send us an email at info@goodfoodjobs.com with your name and best method of contact, plus the answer to this question: 
 

What is the biggest barrier to caring for yourself?
 

Your entry must be received by Sunday, January 17 at midnight EST. Two winners will be randomly selected and contacted by Tuesday, January 19.

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We are thrilled and grateful to have collaborated with Nicole through our Share Your Voice initiative, an ongoing effort inspired by the #sharethemicnow movement. 
 

photo by Tatum Bronte for GFJ Stories