We have a moment, right now, to practice the preachings of living well as a society. I am furious that communities are still putting the onus of feeding children on the school systems. A couple of communities get it: it’s a moment for everyone to feed people.

Let’s talk CARE.

There is a space for us to care for our neighbors in new ways. In our neighborhood we are bartering some things. Three of us need a new roof and are discussing how to hire a company for 3 jobs at a discounted rate. How could we take care of a company and get a service?

Care is also about what we’re doing daily. Lots of walks (omg the walkers! they smile! they wave!) and, personally, I take lots of epsom salt baths cuz I can’t have surgery on my knee right now. It soothes me. This is self-soothing.

I learned that from @deanna & it’s crucial.

So there’s self-soothing and self-care. What’s the difference? Here, read this and then come on back here: https://twitter.com/deanna/status/1184938039308701699

You want the shorthand version? It leads to structural care. Something we CAN do right now. It takes organizing. Are you up for that? Because we won’t go back to business as usual.

Here’s Deanna’s first comic. Are you doing any of these things for yourself? YAY YOU.

It’s not on there but drinking water fits with the fancy beverages. Tired of plain water? Stick a lemon slice in there. Use some peppermint drops. Add some grenadine or cherries .

Heat it up with lemon, drop some honey in there.

Become a mixologist, y’all.

Then, she talks about self-care. A little different from self-soothing, right?

Currently I’m doing yoga daily, using telehealth mental services for my depression & anxiety, and napping. I can nap like a mofo.

Hit the timer, close your eyes, use a weighted blanket.

Self soothing and care come first. Practice that and then we can get to community care. Deanna rightly names the enemy of capitalism. It gets all of us caught up. Look at her list and see if you can spot changes we’re making.

Capitalism doesn’t care for you. It destroys.

And look: I get caught up in it, too. I am complicit. It means actively working against that. A word: the intimate relationships I have with white community members in the coalition I belong to are important. We gotta be in right relationships with them to fight racism.

Finally, Deanna talks about structural care. How many of these things have been at the forefront of discussions lately in this pandemic? A LOT, Y’ALL. This is a model for how we could be.

The structures of our communities can be rebuilt. It’s time. Right now.

We have enough food to feed the world. We have enough healthcare to take care of everyone (y’all been catching the caveats about that lately - it’s why we’re sheltered in place SAVE IT FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT). We have enough housing. We have enough childcare.

We have enough.

Thinking about structural care means doing all the other forms of it, too. Don’t get discouraged. This is big work. This is organizing work. We have models for this. We just like the old ways sometimes.

If we cling to them, we die. That’s not hyperbole. We die.

A huge thanks to the work of Deanna Zandt for helping illustrate really big ideas. When I’ve shared these in workshops people have rolled their eyes at it. Impossible, Kelly!

Well. Guess what? Our survival depends on thinking in abundant ways. Believing that all are worthy.

I love y’all. Drink your fancy water today.

We can do this.