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TWO WEEKS AGO . . .
we included a small prompt toward the end of our email newsletter, which read:
As a small experiment, simply hit reply and tell us your first name and what you ate for breakfast this morning.
We didn't have any grand hopes, aspirations, or expectations - but we were tickled with the results.
A few hundred people replied (thank you for your patience as we waded through and responded to each and every one). Here are some key observations:
- People seem eager to connect. All it took was a simple prompt for folks to respond.
- A significant proportion of respondents (probably over 1/3) shared - in addition to writing what they had for breakfast - a similar sentiment: that they'd been reading the newsletter for years, and expressed gratitude for the writing and this community. We were astounded that so many folks have been there all along . . . but just needed the invitation to reach out.
- Connections multiply and amplify. Many of the emails became conversation threads, with ideas, questions, and jokes bouncing back and forth. We learned so much from these interactions - from new ideas for breakfast (so many!), to the fact that oats are a VERY popular breakfast food (in so many forms - oatmeal, baked oats, overnight / soaked oats, raw oats, granola), that coffee drinkers have some of the most devoted of breakfast rituals, to learning that we were quoted in a cookbook!
- This small practice brought us so much joy and so many smiles. Creating the prompt on a whim, in the process of reflecting on all that we had processed through the month of August, we were feeling some despair and questioning what the meaning of it all is. Which often proves to be a necessary step in the process of finding answers and moving forward. The act of reaching out and hearing from other real humans - even about something as mundane as what they ate for breakfast that morning - lifted our spirits so much more than any other medicine.
The moral of this story is: connect with fellow friends and strangers. Share seemingly insignificant moments. You never know when you might brighten someone's day, and you never know what you can accomplish together. The ripples can start with one simple invitation.
In community,
Tay + Dor
photo by Sophia Piña-McMahon
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tidbits...
resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we're reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . .
Many folks who heard that I ate leftover 'self-saucing chocolate cake' for breakfast one morning kindly demanded the recipe. Happy to oblige for everyone. Just know that I always bake it for less time than it says (check at 24 minutes, but depending on your oven it could be up to 28 minutes) and sometimes substitute the boiling water with coffee to amp up the chocolate flavor.
We Can Do Hard Things is back at it again. In this episode Amanda breaks down the history of why humans need connection. A worthy listen given our conversation above.
We are so deeply moved and inspired by this article by Rhaina Cohen about What Adults Forget About Friendship.
The Center for Body Trust has seven vital ways fat people can advocate for their health in a medical system rooted in patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy.
From Dazed Beauty, a report on how Zoom, among other modern advances, may be contributing to body dysmorphia, especially in younger aged females.
Bestselling author and award-winning singer/songwriter, Andre Henry, has been showing up on social media with revolutionary thoughts on mental health, as well as this timely lesson on toxic traps of social justice advocacy.
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.
"The hands and body seem, instinctively, to remember what the mind has to work harder for." Read the latest GFJ Story on street cooking (and eating) in southern India's city of Chennai, with words and photos by Jehan Nizar.
got a tidbit? drop it here for us and we'll share it in next week's newsletter.
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