[thanks to CT for the heads-up to the amazing artist Favianna Rodriguez!]
I am a big fan of the boycott; ask my children, as over the years we have avoided Pizza Hut, Domino's, Hooter's, Chick-fil-A, Fox News, Nestle', Curves gym, etc. We also proudly take part in the buycott, supporting companies/products that align with our values and principles. Our family believes in voting with our wallet, and using our dollars to create change.
After much thoughtful consideration, over a month ago I decided to follow through on a hard and fast boycott of Publix, the Florida supermarket chain. The below article provides all the details but, when I heard in late-January that Publix heiress Julie Jenkins Fancelli helped fund the bulk of former President Donald Trump's January 6 rally in Washington, D.C. that took place just before the Capitol riot, I finally decided to pull the plug on my association with them. Of course Publix posted a non-disclaimer in that she wasn't technically an employee and therefore this had nothing to do with them, but the supermarket chain has long been known for giving money to conservative causes, most recently Ron DiSantis' re-election (2022) PAC.
Call it the proverbial straw, but I am *done* with them. Fortunately there are many other grocery store "games" in town, among them Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Aldi, Target, Whole Foods, and Costco, most of whom deliver via Instacart. They may not miss me, but I will definitely not miss them, and I am of the Alice's Restaurant philosophy, that segues from one person to two ("in harmony") to three ("an organization") to 50 ("they may think it's a movement").
Join me? #boycottPublix
‘The last straw’: the US families ending love affair with grocery chain after Capitol riot: Families are boycotting Publix after a member of founding family donated $300,000 to the Trump rally that preceded January’s deadly Capitol attack
As is tradition, five items below of beauty, interest, and humor to brighten your day/weekend/week. Enjoy!
~ Curbside Pickup. Bicycle Deliveries. Virtual Book Discussions. Amid Virus, Bookstores Get Creative: “We’re going to operate like a pizza takeout place,” one independent bookstore owner said. (thanks to CT, again, for the nod to this article!)
~ Chocolate: Some people are perfectly fine without it. My friend Ross jokes that he can go for months at a time and not even notice. I too felt like that about chocolate—that is, until the pandemic started. (by Aimee Nezhukumatathil)
~ Kate Baer Is Speaking Truth. From Her Minivan: Who says motherhood can’t be literary, even poetic?
~ The Bengsons: Married duo The Bengsons blend soaring vocals, frenetic rhythms and rousing all join hands choruses to create new hybrid indie rock/art/theater performances. Their Americana-influenced brand of Indie Rock has received accolades from fans and critics alike. [I am officially obsessed with these people, after discovering their Keep Going Song a few months ago. They have a YouTube channel, and there is a musical, too. Wow!
~ Why I Didn’t Answer Your Email: Because my inbox will always be waiting for me, but my children will not. (by KJ Dell’Antonia)
POEM: Experiment in Empathy by Ellen Bass
The scientist places each rat
in its own glass box
and for thirty seconds he plays
"What a Wonderful World."
In the last three seconds, he shocks the rat.
This is followed by ninety beats of silence.
And then the cycle begins again.
As she describes it to me
I can't help thinking
how familiar this is - one minute
Louis Armstrong singing
and the next--
some fever or wreck, some impossible mistake.
And I sit holding a spoon,
unable to lift it to my mouth, unable
to put it down.
This strain of rats descends
from a circus in the 1800s. Their ancestors
swung in satin-ribboned trapezes
and leaped through tiny rings of fire.
Now, none of those skills can save them.
And here's the thing:
a rat who isn't shocked,
who only watches,
panics too. That is empathy.
Feeling what another creature feels.
But sometimes it's too much to ask
a person to inhabit
the strange region of a foreign heart.
Once, when I was in a glut of pain,
I said to a friend,
Just take an hour and imagine
this is happening to you.
She looked straight ahead
and said, I don't want to.
QUOTE: “There is only one time that is important – NOW! It is the most important time because it is the only time that we have any power.” ~ Leo Tolstoy
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