Week 10: The 2019 Voting with My Dollar Project
I was chatting with a friend the other day who, like me, has small children and worked in the wellness world for years. We were joking about throwing a retreat called a “Mom Asylum” — something with padded walls and intense therapy sessions, but also high-end massage and gourmet food. We joked, but we would both sign up for that in a heartbeat.
It’s been a tough few weeks, here in the lion days of early March. When I realized Daylight Savings was happening this weekend, I nearly cried tears of joy.
The S.A.D. has gotten real ever since the dark days and single-digit temps have broken my spirit of my usual morning walks — probably the only Vitamin D I was getting. A friend recently pointed out that if one is spending under 15 minutes a day in the sun, one probably doesn’t need to wear a moisturizer with sunscreen in it, and that the sunscreen might actually be detrimental in a case like this. Good point.
The ways in which I have voted with my dollar this past week have mostly pertained to my state of coping. Vitamins (like, er, D). Witchy tinctures and potions. Herbal remedies. One single yin yoga class accompanied by sound healing, tres lovely. Oh and cheeseburgers — very important to the self-care.
I bought nothing on Amazon this week. The only major brand I shopped with was Price Chopper. Partly this is because, being under the weather, I laid low.
Saturday I spent the latter part of the morning at the library with my daughters, sort of like a budget retreat. When I retire I hope to be the crone who reads to kids at storytime. I can’t imagine a greater way to spend my days.
Sunday we didn’t even leave the house. I spent no money at all — that’s a rare day. The biggest expense I made this week was to buy festival passes to Mountain Jam in New York State in June. We’ve had a family tradition of going to a few music festivals or events each summer, in an effort to instill a passion and reverence for real grassroots music in our daughters. Voting with my dollar in that way, too.
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What I’m eating:
Soup.
What I’m watching:
Well, I watched Leaving Neverland and have been depressed out of my mind. Why do genius and depravity have to be such a common package? If you’re one of those people who doubts whether Michael Jackson was really a predator (I was) you haven’t seen this.
What I’m reading:
This National Geographic article on life on other planets is mind-blowing.
What I’m listening to:
Almost done with the podcast Seeing White and finding it really insightful and thought-provoking. If you’ve ever wondered what “white privilege” means and whether you should care, this is a good one.
