Sometimes Building Community Sucks, But It’s Still Worth Doing

Regular readers of this newsletter know that I have a deep obsession with how to build community. This can be doing informal things, like dropping off a meal for someone who just had a baby, or it can be investing time and money in existing organizations. So today I’m turning the newsletter over to someone who’s really in the community trenches – my husband, Travis Morrison. In tomorrow’s members-only thread, I'll ask you all what community organizations you’ve been involved with, and the good, the bad and the ugly of leading and participating.What I’m reading: I LOVE Anne Helen Petersen’s newsletter and adapted resource “A Shortcut for Caring for Others (and Being Cared For Yourself)” which helps us explicitly articulate how we want to be cared for during tough times. Highly recommend sharing it with those in your “community of care.”If you need to die laughing: If you haven’t read this McSweeney’s “A Parent’s Typical Day, As Envisioned by My Child’s Preschool.” give yourself the gift of gasping for breath hysterics and enjoy this gem.What I’m eating: Instagram successfully targeted me for this new Asian-style plant-based meat from a company called Omni Foods and I ordered some. It was YUMMY. I had this hilarious fantasy that my kids were going to help me make Matsubi and Onigiri but they did not help me AT ALL, but they did eat this completely vegetarian platter I made with vegan pork without complaint, and I’m calling it victory.Do me a favor?  I’ve made a 5-minute Double Shift community survey to get your feedback on this newsletter and other offerings I’m considering for 2023. Your opinions are HUGELY helpful to me. As a thank you, I'll randomly select one lucky winner among those who fill out the survey by midnight EST December 8th to win a $50 bookshop.org gift certificate.