Hello friend. Welcome to Get Fresh Daily.

My name is Jiana and I’m the Founder and the Director of Get Fresh Daily. GFD has had some really incredible wins in 2021 (more on that, here) that have given us the ability to start manifesting some big dreams. Namely living out our mission of reimagining spaces where communities of color are robust centers of plant-based eating, living, healing and joy.

And at the same time, the world is changing so, so very quickly all around us now. So much uncertainty. This vision we have for freedom in 2022 and beyond is also one of survival.

At a time when many are racing back to a normal that never was, I cannot pretend that it ever was.

To address this momentous paradigm shift, I’ve decided to move away from participating in systems that honor holidays and celebrations that hold up antiquated systems of colonialism. They do not align with my values. They align with consumerism, capitalism and grind culture which has and continues to disproportionately impact the quality of life and health outcomes for my people, and I cannot play into false narratives that perpetuate these harms any longer.

In this New Year, I’m working to harmonize with the earth. Balancing my circadian rhythm. Realigning my internal clock with nature resonates with me, and many scientists support its health benefits.

Honoring the earth’s seasons, cycles and celebrations not only supports and grounds me personally, it also grounds our work at GFD and all that we are sowing, literally and spiritually, in our garden and in our community.

The time between the Winter Solstice (December 21st) until the Spring Equinox (March 20th) was once honored by our ancestors as the time of Sacred Rest, and that feels right to me. It's cold out, so we stay inside more; we collect our warmth together with loved ones; as the days are shorter, our natural instinct is to quiet down earlier.

This is the time to rest/reflect/reconsider and be grateful for what has brought us to the moment. This is the time to imagine our plans and plant the seeds to support the dreams we want to manifest with the Summer and Fall harvests.

I’m grateful for the insight to root GFD programming outside in our Freedom Garden. I feel we are all safest outside - receiving rich nutrients from our sun and clean air recycled fresh from the plants and trees. When it’s too cold to be outside from mid Dec - early April, find us online hosting robust community programming.

It makes much more sense to look forward to March 20th and the Spring Equinox as the start of the new year. January, by comparison, is cold, forced and arbitrary. March feels rejuvenating, abundant and lit! Keeping the pace a bit slower, allowing ourselves the space to plan and prepare for an amazing season in harmony with the intention we hope to inspire our community with.

Hope you’ll join me on this journey as we explore what new realities can look like, together - unlearning, relearning, reimagining the possibilities.