Oh Susie your words ring so true. Being Canadian and live in southern Ontario its been very difficult trying to keep on an even keel. Emotions range from anger to shock and hopelessness. For me right now politically I feel no control and not respite from political turmoil no matter which side of the border and how all of this plays out. Reading the news about the mass layoffs on Thursday for the US government workers was just disgusting. So many lives just thrown into turmoil. People had just relocated for jobs, bought homes and now all that for not. Your posts give me time to calm, to read and try to regroup... breathe. Thank you Susie for providing calm and perspective and that I'm not alone trying to come to terms with it all.
I am so sorry for what you are going through. It's incredibly sad to have this dynamic between the US and Canada forced on us. Canadians are being so incredibly smart and understanding about the situation, but it's incredibly stressful, I know. I have so many lovely Canadian readers, many like you from the FIne Cooking days, and I wish I could be with you now in person! (Also, I really wish I could physically be in Canada -ha!). We will support each other from afar and will get through this. And you are definitely not alone. Sending hugs, Susie
I know I need to re- read your piece on Resilience because all my feelings and thoughts were right there in black and white. It is hard to phathom that we are where we are, but the demonstrations across the country yesterday are setting an example that we must make them bigger, better and srronger; that the current reflection of our country is not the heart of the America that belongs to all of us and we need to take action to reverse this direction. Susie, please keep validating our need not only to be Resilient but Action. We need to drop everything and pick up the gauntlet of righteousness and re-set the direction of our country. We have done it before and we can and must do it again. Elaine Miller, a partner in faith and action.
Elaine, you are an inspiration and you have so much energy. You are always jumping in and rolling up your sleeves and I so admire that about you. I do think resilience actually includes action. It's an ability to rebound when pushed back. We will push forward. And I , too, was heartened by the demonstrations. We will look forward to seeing you and Howard soon! xo
I certainly understand your feelings, and I know you've been a loyal subscriber - and I thank you. If you decide to unsubscribe, I'm happy to refund the difference for this year. (Most of my recipe content is over on Cook the Vineyard these days, if you want to take a look at that.)
I would offer you simply a quote from the "About" page on my Substack, where I explain my journey a bit and my focus on serenity and sobriety these days. Because probably the most important thing I learned in sobriety was to be honest and true to myself. Also, one of my goals is to help people with challenging emotional situations.
"...How listening to my gut not only rewards me with good decisions (and there were so many bad ones over the years), but also helps me stay aligned with the true Susie, the one who was hidden behind a curtain for so long."
I am as obsessed as always with flowers and gardening and nature and will continue to write about all of them, especially as they relate to my well-being and spirituality and offer solutions to others for finding beauty and joy. But I'm finding myself right now in a very challenging situation, one that is familiar to a lot of addicts and recovered addicts - a sense of no control. Reading and writing about a situation that is challenging for me is one of the best ways I know how to deal with it. So I cannot promise that I won't continue to address this situation. I was speaking with another writer this weekend, and both of us agreed that part of our reaction is sort of a maternal, protective thing - we don't want to see people we know or love - or anyone really - be mistreated, and we are afraid they will be. That is essentially (and honestly) fear, which requires some strategies for dealing with!
My very best to you as always, and happy cooking and gardening! Susie
Oh Susie, thank you for this excellent look at what's going on in our country (and beyond) just now. It's hard to not be consumed by anger and fear, but you make so many good points about developing resilience. -- from your equally bifurcated friend, Lorene
I take solace in reading stories about the past that show me just how resilient we are, and even though things seem like the WORST, they used to be even more worse. That doesn't excuse the idiocy of the extreme right and their vile plans. But we will pick up the pieces and put this country back together in a stronger, healthier way.
Oh Susie your words ring so true. Being Canadian and live in southern Ontario its been very difficult trying to keep on an even keel. Emotions range from anger to shock and hopelessness. For me right now politically I feel no control and not respite from political turmoil no matter which side of the border and how all of this plays out. Reading the news about the mass layoffs on Thursday for the US government workers was just disgusting. So many lives just thrown into turmoil. People had just relocated for jobs, bought homes and now all that for not. Your posts give me time to calm, to read and try to regroup... breathe. Thank you Susie for providing calm and perspective and that I'm not alone trying to come to terms with it all.
Dear Helen,
I am so sorry for what you are going through. It's incredibly sad to have this dynamic between the US and Canada forced on us. Canadians are being so incredibly smart and understanding about the situation, but it's incredibly stressful, I know. I have so many lovely Canadian readers, many like you from the FIne Cooking days, and I wish I could be with you now in person! (Also, I really wish I could physically be in Canada -ha!). We will support each other from afar and will get through this. And you are definitely not alone. Sending hugs, Susie
I know I need to re- read your piece on Resilience because all my feelings and thoughts were right there in black and white. It is hard to phathom that we are where we are, but the demonstrations across the country yesterday are setting an example that we must make them bigger, better and srronger; that the current reflection of our country is not the heart of the America that belongs to all of us and we need to take action to reverse this direction. Susie, please keep validating our need not only to be Resilient but Action. We need to drop everything and pick up the gauntlet of righteousness and re-set the direction of our country. We have done it before and we can and must do it again. Elaine Miller, a partner in faith and action.
Elaine, you are an inspiration and you have so much energy. You are always jumping in and rolling up your sleeves and I so admire that about you. I do think resilience actually includes action. It's an ability to rebound when pushed back. We will push forward. And I , too, was heartened by the demonstrations. We will look forward to seeing you and Howard soon! xo
Susie
I love your recipes and-flower information. I hate that you have gone down the political road.
Hi Diane,
I certainly understand your feelings, and I know you've been a loyal subscriber - and I thank you. If you decide to unsubscribe, I'm happy to refund the difference for this year. (Most of my recipe content is over on Cook the Vineyard these days, if you want to take a look at that.)
I would offer you simply a quote from the "About" page on my Substack, where I explain my journey a bit and my focus on serenity and sobriety these days. Because probably the most important thing I learned in sobriety was to be honest and true to myself. Also, one of my goals is to help people with challenging emotional situations.
"...How listening to my gut not only rewards me with good decisions (and there were so many bad ones over the years), but also helps me stay aligned with the true Susie, the one who was hidden behind a curtain for so long."
I am as obsessed as always with flowers and gardening and nature and will continue to write about all of them, especially as they relate to my well-being and spirituality and offer solutions to others for finding beauty and joy. But I'm finding myself right now in a very challenging situation, one that is familiar to a lot of addicts and recovered addicts - a sense of no control. Reading and writing about a situation that is challenging for me is one of the best ways I know how to deal with it. So I cannot promise that I won't continue to address this situation. I was speaking with another writer this weekend, and both of us agreed that part of our reaction is sort of a maternal, protective thing - we don't want to see people we know or love - or anyone really - be mistreated, and we are afraid they will be. That is essentially (and honestly) fear, which requires some strategies for dealing with!
My very best to you as always, and happy cooking and gardening! Susie
Oh Susie, thank you for this excellent look at what's going on in our country (and beyond) just now. It's hard to not be consumed by anger and fear, but you make so many good points about developing resilience. -- from your equally bifurcated friend, Lorene
To my bifurcated friend - we will keep working on our two (four) selves together!
I’m going to try my best to follow your lead though, at times, it feels daunting.
Thank you for sharing
Daunting for sure, Abby. The sheer volume of noise is deafening! But we will persevere…
Excellent column. Thank you. Have a nice trip to DE.
Thank you Suzanne - hope you are well!
I take solace in reading stories about the past that show me just how resilient we are, and even though things seem like the WORST, they used to be even more worse. That doesn't excuse the idiocy of the extreme right and their vile plans. But we will pick up the pieces and put this country back together in a stronger, healthier way.
You’re right Maria - it’s amazing what we can do when we have to. And it is really helpful to look back…
Stunning. Breathtaking. Terrifying. Absolutely disgusting. Unsurprising. And every reason to never give in. Never.
Never! ❤️💔❤️