Greetings Family,
I want to thank you again for helping us reach our Giving Tuesday goal. Listen, there are multiple ways nonprofits work hard to generate revenue to sustain our mission. Most people are familiar with grants. Yes, we need grants, and we greatly appreciate funders who believe in our work. But when the Village shows up, it carries a different kind of weight. It’s confirmation that the work is touching lives, and we are not in this alone. For that, we are deeply grateful.
Now, let me tell on myself for a minute. I was actually planning to shut this newsletter down at the end of this month. The current regime and its reign of terror pushed me back into writing because it’s obvious that we really need connection right now. But writing vulnerably again? I haven’t done that in years. Blogging faded, podcasting took over, and I stepped away from social media. Life got busier, my focus changed, and I wasn’t moved to share in that capacity anymore. December 30th was supposed to be the final edition before returning to literacy facts alone.
Well, that thought didn’t get much time to settle. Before I could close that mental door, I received some beautiful words of affirmation about how these newsletters have been impacting people. Those words reminded me that staying open is worth it and that care has a way of circling back right when you need it. And that sent my mind to the way so many of us shut ourselves down just to survive.
We live in a time in which people proudly exclaim they don’t give AF. A very popular saying is “I have zero f#%ks to give.” We see it on shirts, pins, bios, and everywhere online. It has become a prized personality trait. That bothers me deeply. And while it bothers me, I also understand how people get there. It can feel as if the world doesn’t reward goodness. Too often, best efforts aren’t met with care, understanding, or reciprocity. On top of that, folks are grieving silently. Bills are always due. Dreams get delayed. Betrayal happens. But you still have to get up and go to work in the morning because…capitalism.
Life is amazing, but it can get rough sometimes. With that considered, can we really blame people for hitting the easy button, which is to not care? Not caring is a shield. It’s a coping mechanism and a way to navigate without feeling.
But growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones. We can hustle, achieve, acquire, and grind. But when we stop caring, we shut down our humanity. We turn into beautiful robots who’ve allowed pain to win. Giving and receiving love in all its forms is what this life is about. When you shut yourself down, you protect your output, but you also cut off your capacity to receive. Connection to ourselves and to each other is what keeps life and community moving forward. We seriously cannot afford to let apathy win. When apathy wins, family and community lose hard.
So I want to thank my Aunt Althea, Vickie, Ms. Diana, William, Mike, Omar, and everyone who has taken the time to reply or reach out with care. Their words reminded me that care always lands somewhere, even if you can’t see it. And sometimes receiving those small acts of care is enough to pull you back into your purpose, past the discomfort, and into the work your heart was built to do.
And if care can pull me back into my purpose, it can do the same for you. Each one of us has a gift, a calling, or a softness the world needs. So let me speak directly to your spirit for a moment.
Remember: You are greater than the worst thing that was done to you, and even if you don’t feel it at this moment, you are stronger than whatever adversity you’re facing.
I hope this holiday season finds you in great spirits. I hope you laugh deeply and gather with people who make your heart lighter. Keep caring. Growth demands heart. Healing demands heart. Love demands heart. Our children need to see adults who still care, even when life tried to make them numb. The person beside you, and the lovely person in the mirror, need your heart open and working (with a healthy side of boundaries) because heart work is the work that transforms.
Shout out to all the carers. You’re sustaining this world. Much love to those who have closed themselves off, but are open to hammering away at that protective shell piece by piece. We’re in this together.
As for the newsletter…I can’t make any promises, but as of today, I no longer plan to end it.
Thank you for believing in this work and for standing with us.
In love and gratitude,
Starr Armstrong
Founder | Clever Communities in Action