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Days of Abundance and Connection Two weeks ago, when it was still considered safe in Australia to gather under a large tent with hundreds of fellow music fans, Eva was at the Port Fairy Folk Festival watching the British singer-songwriter Grace Petrie, whose music follows the tradition of Billy Bragg—filled with foot-stomping, activist energy. At Folkie, Petrie sang a song she wrote to commemorate the Spanish Civil War, which she described as a protest song about a future society “in which we pretend to give a f*ck about each other.” It included a call and response: “Stand up today!” she cried. “Save tomorrow!” the crowd called back. Listening to Petrie pour her heart into songs to get us moving (and acting!), a phrase popped into Eva’s head: “Days of abundance and connection.” Like everyone else in recent weeks, we have been preoccupied with thoughts about the Coronavirus: How is this transforming our lives and work? What does this means for our families and communities? What can we can offer right now that will help soothe people’s heartache and bring us together? Our offering is a meditation on abundance and connection: What do you have plenty of now? How can you connect with people by sharing what you have, whether food (Eva has a very full peach tree at the moment) or expertise (online op-ed workshop, anyone)? More than anything else, The Life I Want project is about imagining a future of abundance and connection. A future that gives everyone more, at work and in life: more security, more equality, more time, more connection, more hope, more life. It’s easy to think we should cling to what we have when people are hoarding and stores are rationing. In Eva’s town, in rural Australia, there are rumors about buses dispatching hordes of grocery tourists who are buying up provisions at local shops that they can no longer find in the cities. In many countries, otherwise rational people are buying toilet paper as if it’s going extinct. (It’s not. Stop it.) We’ll be better served by thinking not about scarcity, but abundance. Not about isolation, but (safe) ways of connection. We have loved hearing about the creative ways people are sharing and connecting: The California vet offering phone and video appointments. The Montana running shop and the Oregon bookstore whose employees will deliver to your door. The restaurants offering free meals for kids who can no longer get free breakfast and lunch at school. The livestreamed coding workshop and farm lessons for kids. The canceled pricey conferences that are now streaming for free. As the Coronavirus transforms life and work, we are collecting stories like these, which serve as beacons for a better future: stories about people fixing work, building community, and changing laws to keep everyone safe, healthy, and happy, not just in times of crisis but all the time. We’d love to hear stories about what’s happening in your community—ping us anytime at hello@thelifeiwant.co. In the meantime, we’ve got two blog posts to share with you: Reflections on community along with Christine’s TEDxMcMinnville talk on The Life I Want, in which she explains three parts of the work system we need to believe can help fix work: employers, community, and government policymakers. These levers of change feel even more relevant today. A post about the new book Designing Your Work Life, and the reason we need to think beyond our own lives and find ways to design a better work life for everyone.
We’re also sharing some our favorite reads and listens from the past few months—all pre-pandemic, in case you need a reprieve. And stay tuned for what we have in the pipeline, including a deep dive by Eva on the relationship between mental health and work. If you’re a new reader, welcome! The Life I Want is a project by Christine Bader and Eva Dienel exploring stories that show a better future of work—one that enables the life you want rather than determining the life you have. Learn more at thelifeiwant.co. We’re grateful that you’re here with us, helping create days of abundance and connection.
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