HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We are wishing you all hope and possibility despite the ongoing challenges of pandemic life and climate crisis.
As we embark on a fresh start, we hope you are able to channel all of our collective anxieties into supporting the greater good. Help your neighbour, call-up a friend who haven’t spoken to in a long time, donate to and amplify organizations that are protecting our planet, our Indigenous land and water defenders and the vulnerable, finish that book, make a big batch of soup for the freezer, volunteer in the community and most importantly, regularly send yourself love :)
We have also passed Solstice, so we can start looking forward to the glorious Pacific Northwest display of plum and cherry blossoms as well as seeing the tender green shoots of snowbells, daffodils and hyacinths breaking through the frozen ground to dazzle our senses and lift our spirits. The days are gradually getting longer and sunnier as they do year in, year out.
This month’s package has been stocked generously with resources to support you shifting your mindset, forest bathing – in real life or from the comfort of your own home, a little nugget of herbal wisdom, thought-provoking short films and a few delicious recipes featuring RICE, so you can give your holiday belly a break from the rich, heavy foods of the past few weeks.
We are excited to see you all back in our chairs in the next few days so we can support you in the process of shaking off the holiday woolies and helping you ease back into the swing of things. But until then, we hope you enjoy January’s offerings.
“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art – write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”
~Neil Gaiman
- As we embark upon a new year, but ongoing unknowns of a pandemic that continues to rage on, here is a perspective to shift the general narrative, “The Opposite of Toxic Positivity” from the Atlantic.
- If it’s too cold or soggy to get out into the woods, “Sounds of the Forest” can bring the haunting sounds of the woods to you in the comfort of your own home!
A collection of the sounds of woodlands and forests from all around the world, creating a growing soundmap bringing together aural tones and textures from the world’s woodlands. “Use this site to chill, meditate, or do some digital shinrin-yoku.” - Shinrin yoku or Forest Bathing is a term that has gained popularity in the last few years.
Here is a piece about it’s history, origins and purpose as well as it’s benefits, “Getting back to nature: how forest bathing can make us feel better“ a feature in the Guardian. - Sharing some “Preventative Care Practices“ a practical and low-cost guide to protect and promote immunity during the pandemic, courtesy of Long Spell Herbs <3
- Some choice NYT OpDocs to stimulate your mind and hear some thought-provoking stories:
Takeover: How We Occupied a Hospital and Changed Public Health Care
On July 14, 1970, members of the Young Lords occupied Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx — known locally as “the Butcher Shop.” A group of activists, many of them in their late teens and early 20s, barricaded themselves inside the facility, demanding safer and more accessible health care for the community.
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Kris Bowers is one of Hollywood’s rising young composers. At 29, he scored the Oscar-winning film “Green Book” (2018), and this year he premiered a new violin concerto, “For a Younger Self,” at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. For all that success, though, he says that as a Black composer, “I’ve been wondering whether or not I’m supposed to be in the spaces that I’m in.”
I Was Adopted From Korea — Here’s What It Was Like
What does it mean to adopted and brought up far away from your country of birth? In “Given Away,” this week’s moving new Op-Doc by directors Glenn and Julie Morey, Korean adoptees who grew up in Western countries reflect on the complicated emotional terrain that they’ve navigated in their lives. - Lighten up your diet post-holidays with many lovely recipes involving easily digestible, hypoallergenic RICE!!!!
What looks like possibly the most delicious risotto, chock full of warming, toasty flavors, perfect for a winter’s day, Sweet Potato Miso Risotto courtesy of Lahbco :)
Christina’s favorite way to make rice pudding, Kheer courtesy of Healthy Indian Recipes. Fragrant and floral, seasoned with cardamon and rose water. Make it even more flavorful by using full fat coconut milk.
A staple back from Christina’s university days, a Nigerian version of Jollof Rice courtesy of Food52. Jammy, flavorful and definitely jazzed up with a little Sriracha or Sambal Olek.
Warm, comforting umami bomb, Kinoko Gohan courtesy of Spruce Eats, a flexible recipe that you can showcase the season’s bounty of fall-winter mushrooms, if you also happen to be a forager! - Heart & Hands will also be supporting fundraising efforts in support of the Nesting Doula Collective, but in the meantime, if it’s within your means, please check out and donate to their It Takes a Village: 50 BIPOC Births in 2022 crowdfunding campaign.
