A friend sent this to me directly and I asked permission to share it here because I love it and I thought a wider audience would benefit from it. I've removed a few things to keep them anonymous.
"Hiya! ... [your writing] always reaffirms my faith that there is human in humanity still when I read your words, because they echo the questions and demands we share around wanting that tactile, sticky, laughy, good community and ache about the ways society tries to pry us all from each other by demanding our labor and energy in exchange for basic things- and then more.
And it’s so funny to me how dessert always reads to some people as “more” or excess or a luxury.
And I love that you are someone who also believes that no- it’s exactly the thing that is in reach, that seems somehow both humble in some capacity while also luxurious. And how the act of pie is this luxury or like something folks aspire to having time for or to mastering….
And the further I get from the kitchen and in all these silly corporatey jobs to try to pay for my life and for [my beautiful child] to live well and to have my freedom- the less free I feel. It sucks to be the kind of person who wants to work and work hard and do MEANINGFUL work that is not some imaginary made up thing, but that impacts other people directly. Is tactile. Is alive and supporting literal vitality. Capitalism is exhausting<<and that feels so often where I lay down my hat for a few days each week and push on and then get restless and fight with myself over the weekend about how I can possibly spend it living the life I want when I have to go back to the thing I was conditioned for, the thing that existed on this pedestal as the ideal and how I should strive to be (“professional” “eloquent” “intelligent” “approachable but business minded”). And then I get stuck in this inside out place of feeling both mad at my parents and confused, knowing they did honestly do the things they were raised with or thought or were attempting and none of that was perfect but some of it was sometimes and I’ve never been interested in laying blame anywhere anyway.
Too often the burn out and the necessity of money gets in the way of really good connections.
I hate working in an environment I can’t communicate as a whole human with all of my stuff without having to stuff 99% of it so I’m not too much or taking up too much space and then I’m dying to see some personality beyond a job description from a bunch of people working- and it makes me angry that this level of organization and collaborative effort to make growing thriving things gets spent in environments that don’t necessarily care about the individual, and are definitely just…about…selling stuff…and then hiring a lot of creative folks who have mastered the choreography to make it seem as though it is more than that.
And that is one of the myriad reasons I am so glad [we are friends] and want so badly for something new and bold and supported for you to keep sharing the joy and gifts you do. Love you dearly friend, thanks for your words and for being exactly yourself."
“And Pie & Mighty was one of the most formidable teachers I have ever encountered.”
What one of us hasn’t learned through failure? As Albert Einstein once said, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
I am relating so much to your writing. It is enjoyable, real, naked even. It is describing ME! and my inner anxieties, my trepidations, my insecurities. However, and I may be wrong here which will make this whole comment moot, but I seem to sense a certain hesitation from you. Of course you don’t want the nightmare of failure to happen again. But as our friend Albert said, failure is learning! I think that you, Rachel, should quit analyzing and discussing, and just do it! So what if it doesn’t work the first time!! Whatever works the first time most probably didn’t contribute something positive to your life and the lives of others. Something that is Martha Stewart perfect will come off as seemingly well presented, but boring and flat and unreal. You want real, so be real and jump in!!
I had a family dinner at our house when my husband and I were fresh into our marriage. My sister was sitting next to my darling husband and she asked for the butter. Now in my family it had been a sneaky trick to jam the butter into the receiving thumb of the outstretch hand. Not too hard. Just enough to get the tip of the thumb buttered. Well, my sister thought she was being very smart by holding her hand out flat with no thumb offering itself up to be buttered. My beloved took the butter dish as it was passed to him, saw my sister’s flat palm and decided to color outside the box. He turned the whole butter dish upside down in my sister’s hand! There was silence around the table, full of stoic Scandinavian-types. And then there was raucous laughter and an unzipping of the tight polite manners and everyone had more wine! That was 35 years ago and we still talk about it with much laughter!
My point being that the unplanned, the failure, the momentary step outside that confining box is exactly the thing that cements the event in one’s mind. It is the key to a memorable experience! It is a perfect learning tool. So if things aren’t planned to the ‘nth’ degree, don’t be afraid of failing! Anticipate a learning opportunity, because something unforeseen will certainly happen. I am encouraging you to dive in Rachel! Don’t over-plan or over-analyze! Relax and let the dynamics of the moment become that teachable moment! Easier said than done, I know! I have to give myself this talk whenever I am moving into unknown territory. I plan and plan and plan, because I don’t want to seem the fool when something doesn’t go according to my intricate plan. But the thing to plan for is that graceful transition from ‘fail’ to ‘teachable moment’. And if you could make that into a pie, well then . . . the world becomes your pie dish!
I love this, and you, so much. The summer is almost here and I feel overdue in planning our visit to you. Your words serve as a beautiful reminder to do that. And do big fat scary things.
The thing I want to do costs money that I just don't have. With Pie & Mighty I've always made pie, saved a little, made more pie and saved a little more. We did a FUNraiser to open the shop and now that shop is doing beautiful amazing things, but it isn't Pie & Mighty. I don't know how to ask for more money to buy the thing. I don't know how to trust that it will be the thing. I can see it, feel it in my bones, but I've felt that way before. How do you find the belief again?
A friend sent this to me directly and I asked permission to share it here because I love it and I thought a wider audience would benefit from it. I've removed a few things to keep them anonymous.
"Hiya! ... [your writing] always reaffirms my faith that there is human in humanity still when I read your words, because they echo the questions and demands we share around wanting that tactile, sticky, laughy, good community and ache about the ways society tries to pry us all from each other by demanding our labor and energy in exchange for basic things- and then more.
And it’s so funny to me how dessert always reads to some people as “more” or excess or a luxury.
And I love that you are someone who also believes that no- it’s exactly the thing that is in reach, that seems somehow both humble in some capacity while also luxurious. And how the act of pie is this luxury or like something folks aspire to having time for or to mastering….
And the further I get from the kitchen and in all these silly corporatey jobs to try to pay for my life and for [my beautiful child] to live well and to have my freedom- the less free I feel. It sucks to be the kind of person who wants to work and work hard and do MEANINGFUL work that is not some imaginary made up thing, but that impacts other people directly. Is tactile. Is alive and supporting literal vitality. Capitalism is exhausting<<and that feels so often where I lay down my hat for a few days each week and push on and then get restless and fight with myself over the weekend about how I can possibly spend it living the life I want when I have to go back to the thing I was conditioned for, the thing that existed on this pedestal as the ideal and how I should strive to be (“professional” “eloquent” “intelligent” “approachable but business minded”). And then I get stuck in this inside out place of feeling both mad at my parents and confused, knowing they did honestly do the things they were raised with or thought or were attempting and none of that was perfect but some of it was sometimes and I’ve never been interested in laying blame anywhere anyway.
Too often the burn out and the necessity of money gets in the way of really good connections.
I hate working in an environment I can’t communicate as a whole human with all of my stuff without having to stuff 99% of it so I’m not too much or taking up too much space and then I’m dying to see some personality beyond a job description from a bunch of people working- and it makes me angry that this level of organization and collaborative effort to make growing thriving things gets spent in environments that don’t necessarily care about the individual, and are definitely just…about…selling stuff…and then hiring a lot of creative folks who have mastered the choreography to make it seem as though it is more than that.
And that is one of the myriad reasons I am so glad [we are friends] and want so badly for something new and bold and supported for you to keep sharing the joy and gifts you do. Love you dearly friend, thanks for your words and for being exactly yourself."
Not sure how I can help, but I see you and support you and want to bring some energy to this beautiful sweet and mighty thing. 🥧🫶 I'll message you.
“And Pie & Mighty was one of the most formidable teachers I have ever encountered.”
What one of us hasn’t learned through failure? As Albert Einstein once said, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
I am relating so much to your writing. It is enjoyable, real, naked even. It is describing ME! and my inner anxieties, my trepidations, my insecurities. However, and I may be wrong here which will make this whole comment moot, but I seem to sense a certain hesitation from you. Of course you don’t want the nightmare of failure to happen again. But as our friend Albert said, failure is learning! I think that you, Rachel, should quit analyzing and discussing, and just do it! So what if it doesn’t work the first time!! Whatever works the first time most probably didn’t contribute something positive to your life and the lives of others. Something that is Martha Stewart perfect will come off as seemingly well presented, but boring and flat and unreal. You want real, so be real and jump in!!
I had a family dinner at our house when my husband and I were fresh into our marriage. My sister was sitting next to my darling husband and she asked for the butter. Now in my family it had been a sneaky trick to jam the butter into the receiving thumb of the outstretch hand. Not too hard. Just enough to get the tip of the thumb buttered. Well, my sister thought she was being very smart by holding her hand out flat with no thumb offering itself up to be buttered. My beloved took the butter dish as it was passed to him, saw my sister’s flat palm and decided to color outside the box. He turned the whole butter dish upside down in my sister’s hand! There was silence around the table, full of stoic Scandinavian-types. And then there was raucous laughter and an unzipping of the tight polite manners and everyone had more wine! That was 35 years ago and we still talk about it with much laughter!
My point being that the unplanned, the failure, the momentary step outside that confining box is exactly the thing that cements the event in one’s mind. It is the key to a memorable experience! It is a perfect learning tool. So if things aren’t planned to the ‘nth’ degree, don’t be afraid of failing! Anticipate a learning opportunity, because something unforeseen will certainly happen. I am encouraging you to dive in Rachel! Don’t over-plan or over-analyze! Relax and let the dynamics of the moment become that teachable moment! Easier said than done, I know! I have to give myself this talk whenever I am moving into unknown territory. I plan and plan and plan, because I don’t want to seem the fool when something doesn’t go according to my intricate plan. But the thing to plan for is that graceful transition from ‘fail’ to ‘teachable moment’. And if you could make that into a pie, well then . . . the world becomes your pie dish!
I love this, and you, so much. The summer is almost here and I feel overdue in planning our visit to you. Your words serve as a beautiful reminder to do that. And do big fat scary things.
The thing I want to do costs money that I just don't have. With Pie & Mighty I've always made pie, saved a little, made more pie and saved a little more. We did a FUNraiser to open the shop and now that shop is doing beautiful amazing things, but it isn't Pie & Mighty. I don't know how to ask for more money to buy the thing. I don't know how to trust that it will be the thing. I can see it, feel it in my bones, but I've felt that way before. How do you find the belief again?
Word. All of it. Would love to hear about the small towny space that is rumbling through your spirit. ☮️
I'll send you an email. <3
Beautiful writing. First I smiled, then I got teary and now I just want pie. 💚
I have the same reaction every time I write. Thanks for saying so. <3
It's been a goal / dream since before the shop opened.
It's fun to feel like it is within reach. Stay tuned!