What is something useful I can do now?

Pasta, and my 'word of the year' for 2025.

Not remotely related to this post, but I love this photo.

I know, it is actually eight words. A sentence, even. But this is the energy I would like to hold on to throughout this year and beyond. (Is this my ‘new year’s’post, coming at you mid-Feb? Yep, it sure is.)

Keeping relatively well informed about what is happening globally, across all spectrums, right now kind of goes hand in hand with constant low-level anxiety/horror/dread (depending on the day- what a ride!) humming away in the background of daily life. I’ll not speak for everyone but this is how it is for me. This I am slowly coming to accept. This is part of life now but I can live with it, live alongside it. I have to- I won’t stop being informed, because that is silly- we are not ostriches- and it is also an act of extreme privilege. But I do tend to slip into overwhelm, which can lead to apathy, which is actually one of the strategies being employed by the current US administration- overwhelming people to the point of inaction and “it’s all so bad, what’s the point?”

And maybe it is all so bad. But that doesn’t have to mean that we just give up and let them- let capitalism and greedy facsists- win. In fact, it means the opposite.

So I have a goal this year, and perhaps you would like to share it: I am making ‘what is something useful I can do, right now?’ my mantra. Whether it is:

• signing a petition

• writing a letter

• donating to someone whose needs are greater than mine- once off or ongoing

• dropping home grown produce to our neighbours

• cooking meals for a friend

• making a reconcerted effort to be mostly vegetarian

• financially supporting writers (usually on substack but patreon is probably better) who are providing important information about global politics and climate

• avoiding giving large corporations any of my money (as much as possible)

• and thus, supporting small local business (one I have just discovered- maybe your new fave toilet paper?!)

• speaking up! Talking about politics and climate with people, however awkward it may be

• wearing my values (clothing the gaps and we are the peace are both great businesses to support)

• growing some of my own food and saving the seeds for next season

• planting native plants for native birds and insects

• changing my bank/superfund to make sure I am not inadvertently supporting arms trading or fossil fuel companies

Native bee on a native South Australian plant- cullen australasicum (recommend planting if you are in SA)

There are plenty more things I/we can do. But now, when I feel sad or overwhelmed or terrified or whatever else, I just need to think ‘well, what is something useful I can do, right now?’

Something else we need to do, and I think I’ve written about it before because it is something I struggle with, is seek joy. I have found this to be very true for me recently- if I am not actively engaging with things that bring me joy (ie writing this letter- hi, sorry I’ve been MIA again!) then I get depressed and I am fucking useless to everyone.

Gardening, friends and family, creative pursuits, reading good books, being in the wild. Highly recommend.

Arranging home grown flowers and produce brings me a lot of joy.

Two simple meals that are high in 'joy'

And this all sounds very simple, written down in a nice little list like this. Actionable easy things to do. In my experience, fully engaging in life this way can sometimes be the hardest thing to do. Especially when the forces with a lot of power (fossil fuel companies, psychopathic billionaires etc etc) need to keep us apathetic and distracted because they REALLy don’t want resistance (see this man being tackled by police officers for holding a flag at a prime time event in the US, jail time for climate protesters in the UK).

It is something I need to practice. I need to build my muscle memory for seeking joy and taking action. Seeking joy and taking action. These are things everyone can do, in some way or another- tiny or not it is all important. And the time is right now. Maybe it is uncomfortable for a bit- changing ingrained thought patterns usually is. Maybe it is already too late- maybe, but is that a reason not to try? Maybe I’ll fail and make mistakes- I definitely will but again, is this a reason not to try? Maybe people will think I am annoying if I talk about things they don’t want to hear- probably they will but that’s actually ok.

In case you can’t tell, I am a very earnest person (if you’ve been around here for even a little while, this will not be news to you). I care a lot about a lot. So now I am trying to consistently translate that care into action, over and over again.

So if you’ll allow me to put my 2025 mantra into action, here is something that (I hope) will be useful: a recipe for an incredibly simple vegan summer pasta (though I will admit- my kids were not into this one but they are massive plain pasta with cheese fans so…), and some links to other vegetarian meals we make over and over again.

(Reducing meat consumption is a very effective way to personally try and combat climate change but obviously we also need systemic and political change- it should not rest on the shoulders of individual people alone. We know the blame for climate change sits pretty squarely on the shoulders of fossil fuel giants.)

So this is literally the notes I wrote after making this pasta so I wouldn’t forget it:

Slow cook in lots of olive oil: 1-2 grated zuchini, garlic-lots, 1 tin chickpeas, salt, some cherry tomatoes, add a handful of chopped parsley and basil after 45 mins, cook 1 pckt pasta, combine, top with chilli if desired.

This is a terrible photo but I promise, this pasta is good!

In case it is not obvious, the way I cook is very much ‘make it up as I go along with what I have on hand tasting as I go’. For people who prefer a little more precise instruction, give this a go and let me know what you think:

Chickpea, zuchini and cherry tomato pasta (a mid-summer pasta)

You’ll need: 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 large or 2 small zuchini, 3-4 cloves garlic, 1 tin chickpeas, a punnet of cherry tomatoes (if you buy them use the whole punnet, if you grow them maybe 10-15 or so?), sea salt, handful each of basil and parsley, 1 packet of pasta, chilli flakes.

Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Grate the zuchini, chop or crush the garlic, drain the chickpeas. Once the oil is hot add the zuchini, garlic, chickpeas, tomatoes, and a generous pinch of sea salt and turn the heat down to med-low. Now let it cook very gently- you are more slowly braising in the oil rather than frying- for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally (like every 10-15 mins). You are cooking this slowly- if you need to reduce the heat to stop it from sticking to the pan or burning, do so.

Chop your basil and parsley and cook your pasta in salted water. After 45 minutes of braising, add the herbs to the frypan and stir to combine and then turn off the heat. Once your pasta is cooked, reserve a cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Combine the pasta and the chickpea mixture in the frypan, adding some of the pasta cooking water if you need to loosen it up a bit (I would add about half a cup of water then give it a stir over heat to combine, then adjust from there).

Serve with chilli flakes if you like it hot, parmesan if you like it cheesy.

Here is a recipe for vegetarian bean burritos (AKA the only meal everyone in my whole family gets excited about) and also a very simple, very delicious lentil soup (from the now out of print Turquoise cookbook).

Thanks for being here, and I hope you are doing okay out there. Xx