I have been calling in a lot of favors recently (mostly cat sitting as i’ve had a lot of travel necessities accumulate this month for some reason) and thankfully I have friends who are happy to do it for free, so I have been compensating them with tokens of gratitude. I got one friend who’s into sake a nice bottle from a place in town he hasn’t been to. for another friend I got them a big ol bag of their favorite sweet treats. Another friend of mine works on an IOU system so we have been exchanging favors (not in a quid pro quo way more of a serviceberry economy type beat). in these trying times we’re all feeling a little pinched, but a favor goes a long way in helping folks take care of what they have to do without putting them in more of a squeeze. Pay it forward and show a little personalized love and keep that IOU tally in your back pocket and build your own little economy of reciprocity
Things are honestly looking very bleak and precarious for a lot of people. Federal money for a lot of charities that keep people fed and housed might be drying up soon, so I'll echo deardoveswings and taterhole in that contributing/volunteering for local mutual aid would be a great move by everyone. Contrary to the ruling ideology of the western world, love and survival go hand-in-hand. So lets love, and lets survive.
