Warts and All

To Our Dear Fellow Human Beings:

This year has been a time to reflect upon what our deepest
commonalities truly are. We have been forced to acknowledge that there are differences between ourselves and people we thought we shared values, political leanings or global sentiments with. We have seen relationships go through growing pains and in some cases, detach. We have had our feet held to the fire as we wrestle with the question, “What happens now?”

In the Eld-Mathis family, we have found ourselves confronted with choices about how we eat and how we treat people we differ wildly in opinion with. Just a few months ago, Tobias and I watched a documentary called Cowspiracy which talks about the environmental impact of the animal agriculture business and were compelled to admit that we needed to move towards a more plant based diet. That is, IF we wanted to exercise our finite ability to make a positive impact on the planet we all share. It is not easy to shift in that direction when Tobias’ Danish heritage makes dairy and meat mainstays of his diet and my wheat and corn sensitivity makes it difficult to find a balanced and sensible non-meat alternative…but we feel it is a worthy challenge to take on so we are moving forward with it!

The presidential race was a huge opportunity for us to examine how we can peacefully co-exist in families, communities and a country that is perhaps more divided than we previously thought. This is not to say that people have shifted from where they were before the election, only now we see that we must bring the peace and love we wish to see in the world instead of expecting others to shoulder the load. We have spent many hours in conversation around how we can build relationships in our neighborhoods and towns and what common denominators we all share as people on this planet.

Several things have continued to bubble up, like preserving the earth for future generations, music, practicing understanding and kindness with those we interact with, and being mindful consumers so we can funnel more financial resources into places where the suffering is great.

None of these are easy things to do, but an easy path has never guaranteed value. While we expect our attempts to be laced with failures as well as successes, we also believe that everyone tries their best, even if the results seem to contradict that. We are committed to becoming more proactive, compassionate and involved citizens in our locales as well as our planet.  

We hope that you, our extended community, will help to keep us accountable to our goals and that we will have many opportunities to connect and create with you, the world we wish to live in. Now, more than ever, it is up to us to band together and rise collectively and to practice intelligent kindness with even those we most passionately disagree with.

It is our wish that you all will be inspired to act courageously and compassionately in 2017, and more fully embrace the unique offerings you have to give the world. We are counting on each other, we need to support each other, and we look forward to standing in solidarity with you as we step into the New Year.

Stand tall in the light,

Jaime, Tobias and Espen