Acknowledging my colonial settler privilege in living and working on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe People, in progress of learning right relationship with the land and its First People.
Note to readers: It’s been a while… Happy New Year! I have created a subscription newsletter, but will continue to post here as well. So, if you’re happy with receiving these dispatches as is, don’t change a thing. If you’d rather subscribe to Crone Connection newsletter, you can do that here
There’s big stuff happening in the world right now, and its impacts on our lives and relationships are significant.
I don’t know about you, but I have to take the news in very small doses to prevent feeling overwhelmed and helpless with the state of the world.
And I’m so goddamned tired of all things pandemic.
Though if the truth be known, it’s not really the pandemic I’m tired of. For me, the deep fatigue and burnout set in long before the pandemic hit.
It’s capitalism, colonialism, the white heteronormative patriarchy that’s exhausting me, and has been for … well for my whole life.
The pandemic has just blown the lid off of a system that has really only worked for a very small 1% of the world. The rest of us have been navigating healthcare, childcare, home care, education, justice, and economic systems that are underfunded, undervalued, and have been on the brink of collapse for a very long time now.
A system that has been rigged to keep power and resources in the hands of a very few, predominantly white, predominantly old, predominantly straight, men.
The rest of us are told that it’s our fault we’re not thriving. That all we have to do is pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, straighten up and fly right, so we can the 1% too.
And in case you didn’t already see where this is going, I’m here to call bullshit on that.
Don’t blame the pandemic
The messages of capitalism tell us we have to go it alone, to trust no one, and that there’s something fundamentally wrong with us if we’re not thriving. Those messages have never landed well in my body, and decades of allowing them to dictate my life have taken their toll.
I believe (and I am not alone) that healing, and transformative change are only truly possible in community.
The patriarchy has conditioned us to believe we are here to deliver, to serve, but that’s just one aspect of the flow required for human beings to thrive. I have learned that the simple act of receiving can be a revolutionary move.
I am so grateful for the communities of care that have welcomed me, provided a landing place for exploring, excavating, dreaming of, and working towards creating a better world. I have received so much.
Just in case you need one, here’s your permission slip to do the same.
Find the people and places that nurture you, that fill your cup with love, and sit with them. It’s not comfortable given that we’ve been programmed to go it alone, but I can assure you that it’s worth navigating the discomfort.
And you may just find magic.
I have found these communities to be filled with revolutionary soulmates, supportive and nurturing and essential and soothing to my body, mind, and soul:
The Slow Burn Community (and all things Larissa Parson)
We Are the Culture Makers (and all things Kelly Diels)
The ReBloom Advanced Coach Training Community (and all things Rachael Maddox)
Future Planning Sessions
This past weekend, I heard Christina Lopes say that, rather than feeling like the start of a new year, January 2022 feels more like the 13th month of 2021. Apparently there are astrological reasons for this; the universe follows its own rhythm.
Are you feeling it too?
I know I am, and it was reassuring for me to know others are feeling the same way. That we’re all not quite ready to burst forth into the new year with our one big thing yet, not quite ready to make that list of resolutions and buckle down. We’re tired and we need to rest.
And it’s okay. It’s okay to be gentle with yourself, to go slowly, choose what feels best for you, and make decisions from that centered place.
In addition to my regular offerings as a trauma-informed and somatic coach, I have introduced Future Planning Sessions – an hour in safe supportive space to land in your body and focus in on want you’d like to create for yourself in the next few months.
I know the power of setting intentions and getting out of my own way to allow them to manifest and would be honoured to hold that space for you.
Sessions are delivered by Zoom, priced at the introductory rate of $150, and transferrable so you can buy one for a friend.
Book now or click here for more information. ⠀⠀
Thank you for reading my new year newsletter! I appreciate you and would love to hear your feedback; just hit reply.
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Until next time, with love,
Janine Bertolo (she/her)
Anti-capitalist crone and culture maker
Trauma-informed somatic coach