It’s Veganuary 2022 - and I do hope that if you’re not already on the right side of history and positive change you have finally embraced the kind and delicious vegan lifestyle this month?! So many recipes and options everywhere that doesn’t kill anyone and only make you stronger and healthier, and our one and only planet more sustainable and a fair step closer towards healing.
Welcome aboard the bus, train or tram of positive green, delicious protein shift and happy change!
I think we are all in desperate need of healing after these two, incredibly rough years. I for one feel like I’ve aged 10 years in these two.
After all the sorrow, pain, limitations, hopelessness, death, climate angst, crushed dreams, constant worries, Weltschmerz worse than ever and a sore lack of meaningful conversations, variation and inspiration I’m so very open to new exciting, green adventures and positivity.
I’m grateful to have survived in this little bubble of mine called life 2020-2021. Many lessons learnt, new skills and insights acquired, and possibly a forced changed look at life and living I do believe it’s about high time to REALLY put all that to good use for kind change. Bring the goodness on, Universe!
To just tie the knots around the last month of 2021, there are two situations that rocked my boat in different unpleasant ways, that I’d like to mention briefly before I move on.
1. I wrote about the horrible, unexpected and totally heartbreaking way I lost my darling Pelle in April https://piaks.blogspot.com/2021/04/goodnight-sweet-pelle-2005-2021.html - a few months later I got a so called decision from the County Adminstrative Board - Länsstyrelsen - which is the supervisory authority for many things in Sweden including animal welfare matters.
— They’re honestly not doing a great job when it comes to farmers and farm animals, slaughterhouses and such. Nothing really changes no matter how many undercover documentaries, inspections and reports from concerned people they get, the dire situations stay the same. —
However, I wrote an appeal of that decision, even if it obviously would not bring back Pelle, the lack of procedure and decent, transparent routines were appalling. I knew nothing would come of that for my case, but I couldn’t let all that abuse of authority stand unchallenged. And maybe some routines could change for other future pet owners finding themselves in similar situations.
Then I heard nothing until the first week in December (8 months later) when I got a letter from them again, based on a report made by an *anonymous neighbour* back in April showing *concern for her other cats* claiming they’d looked inside my house (which is in fact completely impossible if you don’t climb a high steel gate, which would be concidered intrusion and stalking) and claimed it was dirty, messy and showed misery. They had passed my house on numerous occasions (stalking?), the upkeep of it was below par and they had been worried for a long time that not everything was alright. Zero photo proof, zero knowledge of the number of cats or their condition.
You can imagine how utterly infuriating, degrading and sickening that read was.
Noone who knows me would ever doubt I’d willfully mistreat my animals. Any animals. Ever.
I wrote a long email of dispute, showing that every awful nonsense claimed without proof by an anonymous person could not be true.
Either I have some unknown nasty, insane, lying stalker neighbour in one of the 97 houses in my area, or it was the authority inspector, who also happens to live somewhere in my neighbourhood and took Pelle to the vet instead of trying to find me on the spot, who wrote the report full of trigger words. And had there in fact been any pets in actual danger, why did it take 8 months before action was taken… The stupidity is mindboggling.
In the end I had to film my home and the cats, and send them a video to prove everything was quite normal and the cats healthy and happy, to avoid an inspection.
As if the whole mess and sadness of Pelle’s fate had not been enough heartache and me questioning if I missed something, could I have done something differently, better, been a better meowmy. Now some unknown crazy person basically questioned my whole life, living and integrity. And I had to prove them wrong, the basic ’innocent until proven guilty’ obviously didn’t apply to this situation.
A video of one sleeping cat and one staring into the camera and a perfectly normal, colourful, cosy house and home later, and the matter was written off.
Still, it left another big chip in my trust in people. And if I wasn’t paranoid before, I might be a little so now. And oh the anger… The many layers of nastiness of it all. And all the energy spent. And another lesson learnt, that I do feel I could have been without. But apparently the Universe thought it was just what I needed to round off 2021 with.
2. Remember I wrote a post in December about the feeling of lightness and pieces of the puzzle seemingly tentatively fitting in their respective slots somehow? https://piaks.blogspot.com/2021/12/when-november-says-hello-to-december.html?
Well one of those things back then was a very promising job interviw. A video interview quickly followed by an irl interview (on my way to that when those girls stopped me on the street to take a photo). It was a new communication manager position. The company felt fun and entrepreneurial, a small team and obviously I could make an impact as well as learn and grow. It was a great fit, and the vibe I got during the interview was all good. I aced the tests, verbal, written and translation.
A couple of days later I got a message I didn’t get the job. The gobsmacked wtf-feeling was VERY real.
Maybe they in the end wanted someone less multi-skilled, less colourful, less Pia. Someone prone to be moulded, cheaper (although we did never talk actual numbers) and more beige. Perhaps, despite my more square. than hip lawyer background and what I said, they thought I would fit better in a more obvious creative environment (I’ve heard that reason before…).
Be as that may, their loss. Big time. I believe we would have worked great together, they didn’t. Too much much mileage under this hood, simply too experienced, and yes jaded, to put my time and energy into what exactly did go wrong here. No time for BS. I write it off as an experience, and merely, in the big scheme of life, a blimp on the quest road to finally finding the purposeful place where I am understood, appreciated and welcomed with wide open arms.
So, my quest for my kind of people, my kind of place, my kind of dream job continues.
And as I say on my LinkedIn-profile -
”I want to work for and with YOU and your SUSTAINABILITY dedicated change making company NOW! 🌱🌍♻️
After + 9 years running my own business within communication I am now looking for a senior communications position (head of communications, communications manager, director of communications, or similar). Always hungry for learning and growing. And making the world a better place. Naturally.
I add value through active listening, free thinking, curiousity, creativity but also structure, strategy and nifty writing, inspiring communication and much more. I’m also a firm believer in leading by example.
I do my best work when it makes my 💚 sing and in an shared values environment, where we respect and learn from eachother’s differences and strengths. Together we will be an even greater force for good - so let us make this happen! 🙋🏻♀️🤜🏻🤛🏻🙌🏻
Until the right company and I click my business is still open for freelance gigs with me as a proud generalist within communication, copywriting and social media”.
Now, how hard can that be to find a perfect place like that 2022?
I’m still thinking a vegan food company would be the dream fit for me. But the world is a weird, wonderful and serendipitous place so I’m sure there are many other interesting change making and sustainability dedicated companies open for a quirky renaissance woman like me - hello there, give me a call and let’s have a proper chat!
I surpassed my Reading challenge goal of 50 books on Goodreads with 10. Which I’m happy with. One book read per week is reasonable to keep it enjoyable yet not too slow. And then a bit more to challenge the brain.
I’ve set the same goal for books in 2022, I don’t think I’ll be a better reader or a better human if I consume more books than that. I have however set up a shelf in one of my living room bookshelves where I have unread or partly read books I’ve mislayed or simply forgotten I had, that I want to finish this year. There is plenty of room for improvisation and library books, but here the chosen few are, on the middle shelf with Scarlett Thomas to the left:
And if you haven’t had the chance to watch ’Don’t Look Up’ on Netflix just yet, please do. The movie actually is that good.
And then remember, you’re not a trustworthy environmentalist if you’re not vegan. Nor are you a true animal lover if you’re not. It really is that simple. Live your values.
For next time, let’s talk more about goals, wishes and dreams for the New Year, shall we?
Myself I’m in a state of chasing after it a little skip step. every. single. day. at the same time as I’m also trusting. the. process. That in itself is really hard work. We are living in the strangest of times, so why not try a personal combination approach to finding your true purpose in 2022?
Yes I can, I CAN.
I am SO ready to soar into your loving, open arms, 2022, let’s get this adventure started! I trust you.
