Hope, Gin, and the Art of Jarmie Resistance

My friend Zelda just had spinal surgery—serious stuff. “They cut into me like a cadaver,” she said. As if that wasn’t enough, she’s also in the midst of the motherfuckery hormonal hurricane that is perimenopause, where even the sparkliest souls can crash-land in depression, fatigue, and brain fog. Things have been DARK.

Zelda has always had a fire in her belly for justice. Pushing back against patriarchy, capitalism, tech oligarchs—you name it. She’s a force. But lately, her tank’s been running on empty. Deep red zone. I know many of us can relate. These times are intense.

It's not the easiest time to generate hope and solidarity, and yet that's just what Zelda did. “I had no energy to host,  but I could dole out gin and I could wield a remote. “ 

She invited five gal friends around in their jarmies for a post-dinner, pre-bed documentary ”Deconstructing Karen”. They turned up braless, in PJs with snacks, open hearts, and a whole lot of joyful feminine energy. Together they did some gentle decolonising, had a few laughs, and got a bit squiffy over popcorn and truth bombs.

I found that profoundly inspiring. Work with what you have (and no more), creatively create solidarity (AKA bringing your favourite friends together) and create change (AKA watching docos that take you through a transformational arc, while you are relaxing, eating too many chippies). 

Just the company of good friends can help get us vibrationally aligned with the good in this world. It reminds us of what is possible when we band together. It lifts us all up together. That is what we should be striving for. Any other striving is going to take effort we don’t have and give back a lot less.

Hope is forged in tough conditions. Not in spite of them, but because of them. And the formula for when the tank is on empty - go for low effort, high return, deeply real, maximum piggy snorts.

So I’m sharing this home-baked hope-making recipe to you – thanks to Zelda. I hope she inspires you too. And when you have gathered your besties, gather around and enjoy this delicious little reel.

 X Megan

P.S: I want to GROW the hope! Can you please share this with someone who needs a lift or a spark?

P.P.S: In New Zealand its Local Body Election Season! This guide, Policy for the Public Good: A Local Government Resource Guide, shares 100 common-sense, evidence-based policies for local councils, it is a call to reimagine local governance as a driver of resilience and wellbeing.