Did anyone else feel that? That wave of stress the moment Thanksgiving was done. We scraped the last dollop of mashed potatoes off our plate and then worry set in. Bam! How on Earth am I going to make it through the holidays?
Just thinking about all the preparation can be daunting. We put ourselves in a pressure cooker of responsibility: shopping, decorating, cooking, cleaning – as we bite our nails in hopes that everyone is enjoying themselves – funneling our time, money and energy into something that inevitably leads us to the dreaded January 1st. Apologizes to January 1st babies!
Wouldn’t it be nice to breathe, take a step back and give attention to the days in-between these holidays? How amazing would it be to be on the receiving end of a random act of kindness – in November or January? I’d take a free left shoe and a high five at this point.
It may seem like a simple gesture, but the ripple effect of kindness can have quite an impact. That’s not to say that generosity is easy. In fact, generosity takes thought, patience and the presence of mind to be genuinely selfless. But, acknowledging that most everyone is boiling in the same Stress Stew might take the lid off that pressure cooker – and give you a steam bath! Who said Spa Day?
Generosity can take many forms, but the intention is typically the same: to enhance the true well-being of the receiver.
So, here we are, at Team Awesome headquarters, feeling the weight of things to come, knowing that a pick-me-up would be greatly appreciated by anyone with a pulse. And, we asked ourselves, what is readily available, locally-sourced and could make someone’s day? After a blank-faced staring contest that went on for far too long, we think…CABBAGE! Ok, more than just cabbage, but all the key ingredients to make a cabbage roll dinner (recipe included). The only catch is you have to share!
We invite you to make a cabbage roll dinner (or whatever you want to make) using The Apple Box local ingredients and a little love. Then, invite a neighbor, family member, and/or friend over for dinner. We hope a delicious meal and a dash of spontaneous generosity is powerful enough to create positive change – big or small – and most it’s definitely better than a free left shoe!
Pick up your free cabbage (and recipe) at The Farmers’ City Market in Fan Tan Alley from Thursday, November 12th onward. *While supplies last.
Written in collaboration with Josie Mcgraw
