Sustaining Momentum During a Pandemic
The remainder of March did not go as planned. Not for me, and most certainly not for the world. I came home from my Create & Cultivate conference in LA with so much energy and drive. I had a refreshed strategy for moving Yumday forward. I had a plan for recipe development and building out my food holiday content ahead of time. I was also gearing up for a month-long road trip with my sister, that was supposed to kick off this week, which included camping at National Parks and eating our way around America.
But then this.
The past few weeks have been a challenge. With Yumday, I have struggled with my project for several reasons, but primarily because:
Ingredients have been tough to source. Getting groceries isn't easy these days, and there are shortages of key food items (e.g., flour, yeast, etc.). I don't want to go to the store more than I need to, and I don't want to hoard any basics from others.
I worry that creating and sharing my food content might be perceived as tone deaf. I feel weird celebrating food holidays while many people are experiencing hunger. I'm so grateful that I can cook every day and eat well, but I know that this isn't the case for everyone. A lot of people are having a hard time finding their next meal, and I don't want my food holiday project to seem oblivious to that reality.
The issue of ingredients is getting a little better as I've noticed the local market near me has become easier to get in and out of recently. There are still some food items that are hard to find, but I've been able to get ingredients like flour from a local bake shop. But the second issue about my content is still a little difficult for me. Lately, I've been trying to create food holiday dishes that use mostly pantry staples, with the hopes that others might be able to find the posts informative and useful. But I still worry about the bright food posts being "too much" at this time.
Having said all this though, I do think that the only thing I can do is keep going. I have to do my best in this situation and not let it kill the momentum that I've built over the past few months. I know that my challenges are nothing compared to what many others are facing. I'm healthy and safe. My family and friends are well. I have everything I need to be comfortable and creative at home.
I have so much to be grateful for, and practicing gratitude is key to sustaining my momentum. It's easy to stop, easy to pause; but stopping would be dangerous for me. Instead, I'm pushing through it (and cooking through it!), practicing gratitude at all times, and hoping that what I create will bring some joy to people during this uncertain time.