Life is for consuming

Don’t starve your self baby

Besides the obvious decay of everything, consumption is one of the few constants (the act of consuming not the disease consumption). Of course, consumption in any shape and form is often politicized and people tend to have strong feelings about over-consuming or under-consuming! Wherever you fall on the spectrum I’m here to tell you that enjoying consumption can significantly improve your life. 

When I talk about consumption I am not talking only about things that require the spending of capital. I am talking about EVERYTHING. Consuming art, consuming food, consuming through experience the beauties of the natural world. I can list them endlessly but often find that for one reason or another people have forgotten how to enjoy using their resources. 

(Dominique Ansel Bakery (top-bottom) eclaire, triple cheesecake brown butter yuzu
tart, passionfruit riz au lait mousse cake)

The Slow Starvation of Adulthood 

Somewhere between being a toddler, a teenager, and adult life, the fucking terrible mundane humdrum of responsible living will beat the joy of life out of you, particularly if you are not tenacious. Tenacity in many ways is not rewarded, especially if you go against the grain of whatever culture or subculture you’re a part of. 

Most of the time this metaphorical starvation of joy happens because of capitalism. The thought itself could be an entire collection of books but I’ll try my best to get to the heart of the matter with brevity. To avoid starvation, being unhoused, and fear of destitution, people will sacrifice joy and pleasure in other parts of their lives to stay part of a functioning society. The decision isn’t an absurd one but, you’d think that people in power would choose to have a joy-filled life (access to healthcare, access to good food, access to good education, access to support of any and all kinds) to continuing the current struggle of power and oppression but like I said… money and self comes first. 

Having this knowledge the choices are far and few.

1. Lead or take part in a revolution….

2. Accept that you have little power and things are the way they are 

3. Be tenacious in every way you can particularly when it comes to your joy and pleasure. 

(Feel free to list the other options in the replies. I’d love to hear your respectful thoughts)

Naturally, as a hard-headed black woman, my choice is 3! 

Stuffing myself with Tenacity 

I love life. I love life because I enjoy the acts of using up my resources. I love the way the perfect bite of food explodes in your mouth. I love the way clean water tastes. I love the act of reaching out to loved ones and being embraced back! I enjoy fitness in that it allows me to test myself against myself! I truly marvel at the things the human body and mind can do with a little applied tenacity. 

I love experiencing the many many emotions a good book, a good show, a GREAT character, plot twist, great song lyric, a great conversation, a great workout elicit! PURE JOY, devastation, sadness, the feeling that maybe the things you’ve felt do not exist in the isolation of yourself but have been felt by others across time and religion and location and culture. The pure bliss of knowing that you belong to mankind and share that humanness with others is such a deeply pleasing experience. 

I am here to share through my own musings how and why I do it. Perhaps I’ll get you to be intentional about stuffing yourself full of everything life has to offer. Just enjoy things. Consume. Feel and be tenacious about it. Consuming isn’t inherently bad and being intentional about it can and will improve your life. I mainly want to remind you to feed yourself and enjoy it when you can. 

Anyway as we begin a new calendar year I want to know what are the favorite ways you feed yourself? What are some ways you want to start? 

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For all of you who have already subscribed thanks so much!! Tune in next Tuesday for our second official newsletter. Here’s a quote to hold you over:

"In the joy of his presence, I am drinking Campari and white rum. We don’t care about the taste although the bitterness is a welcome anchor for the sweetness of his tongue on mine. There are no songs in any of the languages to express the flavor combination.”

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