Steps forward things to consider

For the first time, ever, I have a stocked pantry.  It's wild!  When I moved out of my mom's house to go to college, I found myself purchasing less items than my mom had on hand.  Keep in mind.  She had a household of kids, and I would be relying on me.  Plus, I worked in a restaurant in college.  I was fed at the restaurant every time I worked.  There was little need for me to have a stocked pantry.  Sure, I had a few staples--pasta, coffee and spices.  Never an abundant or full stocked pantry.  

This has included most of my life.  I have worked in the service industry or in proximity to it.  It taught me to love dining out and rely on convenience as opposed to meal prep.   It is not fun to prep meals for one person.  I will eat leftovers, but I get bored after a few days.  I prefer having fresh produce on hand, too.   I like to juice fruits and vegetables.  Lately, I have been making kitchari frequently.  Kitchari is a one pot dish with lentils and basmati rice.  Spices and mirepoix minus onions.  I have been trying to reset my hormones with an Aryuvedic approach.  Basically, I am supposed to cut out dairy, coffee, alcohol, processed foods and a host of vegetables that are heavy on your body.  Garlic, too.  It is an attempt to reverse inflammation in the body.  Surprisingly, I have been able to avoid coffee for three months.  I never that I would be able to manage that.  Dairy has made appearances.  And chips, too.  Of course, wine.  I need to be better at this.  The current state of things is not making it easy.  The one upside of this approach is that I am relying on more pantry goods and less fresh produce.  

This will become more challenging as tariffs take effect.   

I need to pivot.  I stocked up on a few toiletries--toilet paper, dishwashing soap, trash bags, toothpaste.  I do not want to freak out and add more chaos to my already stressed-out self.  This year has been difficult.  Lack of sleep, self-medicating, anxiety.  I know that I am not the only person experiencing this.  

I encourage you to stock up on medicines you use and other staples.  Do not be caught unprepared.  However, do not hoard items.  We all need to be respectful to other people.  I continue to consider growing food in my apartment.  In an effort to become more comfortable with this idea, I repotted a succulent that needs new space.  Unfortunately, I had less soil available than I thought.  I will correct it when I go shopping this week.  Soil, contacts, some cleaning products.  I would suggest picking up cleaning products as well.

We are all in this together.  We only move forward with community.  Doing this alone with be increasingly challenging.