Fat Bubble: 2024 roundup

Dear friends,

It's been some time since I last arrived in your inboxes with a Fat Bubble. In this last year, as we continue to bear witness to so much suffering and injustice globally, I have allowed myself an intentionally quieter year, focusing just on 1-2-1 client work and not launching any new groups or concerning myself with socials; then, halfway through the year, I also allowed this lovely newsletter to go dormant. Carrying on with the day to day, when there is so much to process and grieve, is such an unreal ask from capitalism, to deny our humanity and our humanness; I'm very grateful to be self-employed, and allow myself to make these little adjustments.

Still, I'm so delighted to have made such community here in this Fat Bubble, and grateful for always receiving such a positive response, and I want to take the opportunity to thank you for reading, and supporting this project; I really hope you were able to take hope, resistance and joy from the Fat Bubble. I'm sure I will return to regular writing, some time, soon. In the meantime, the archive is here for you if you would like to re-read any of your favourite pieces. I'm particularly proud that every single person who has been profiled since October 2023 has been explicitly in support of Palestinian liberation.

For now, I'm taking the extra time to care for myself - long walks, audiobooks, cooking, singing, sleeping - as well as using the time for resistance and activism - there is so much work to do.

Favourite audiobooks this year? It's these ones here:

'alone is a word without meaning, here in the forest' - Robin Wall Kimmerer

One joyful act of resistance that occurred to me this year (inspired by Spindle Sister's planting a tree for every order) is to plant a tree for every client ending. This work is such a privilege to me, and I'm so honoured to be a part of each special relationship - planting a tree feels like a tangible acknowledgement of the hope that is created in these precious therapeutic relationships.

If I were to offer one contribution to the Fat Bubble to see out the year, it would be these photos of this Elder - Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, nestled with Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke in the New Zealand parliament, before a haka was begun, as they worked to protect indigenous rights.

Thanks to @robertkitchin for the images.

In these photos Mariameno embodies what I hope for in resistance - that our disruption is joyful, mischievous, loving, colluding with loved ones against a system that means to cause harm. May these images, and Mariameno's spirit, give us all comfort, magic and energy as we continue the fight into the new year - to disrupt cruel systems, to seek healing.

I'm wishing you joy, rest and community as we come to the end of 2024, and I will look forward to reconnecting in this space, some time soon.

Wishing you deep safety and joy,

Vicky