What Does It Mean to Be Safe?
It means having our needs met
The first line of the Lovingkindness prayer I say is, “May I be safe and secure.”
What do I mean by that?
The first two rungs on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are “Physiological” and “Safety” needs. I would argue that the physiological needs also have to do with feeling safe. We want to be safe first from hunger, thirst, exhaustion, exposure to the elements, sickness, and pain. This usually entails being safe from experiencing poverty.
You will almost always be safer if you are not living in poverty.
If you are not living in poverty, you should not have to fear hunger or homelessness.
Hopefully, if you are not in poverty, you can live in a safe neighborhood that allows you the enjoyment of the outdoors, taking walks, and being outside.
Other forms of safety are safety from abusive treatment. That doesn’t always have to do with income. Wealthier people experience abuse, too.
We can also try to be safe from anxiety. I would argue that poverty causes a lot of anxiety about how to get our needs met.
As you can see, safety doesn’t just mean wearing your seatbelt or avoiding dark alleys. In order to feel safe, we need to live in a society that cares about us and doesn’t want people to slip into poverty or live paycheck to paycheck. You can live paycheck to paycheck without technically being in poverty, but your anxiety level about getting ill or having a financial emergency will be constantly high.
When I say the Lovingkindness prayer and wish safety for myself and others, I wish that we don’t fall into poverty, that we have secure housing (that doesn’t push us out with high rents), and that we don’t struggle to afford the basic necessities of life.
“Social” needs may be the third level on Maslow’s pyramid, but I would argue that it’s almost as important as the first two. Strong social connections can help us feel safer and reduce the likelihood that we will fall through the cracks.
If you are feeling unsafe right now, you are not alone. A lot of us are constantly assessing what’s happening around us and the impact it will have on our ability to feel safe. Find a supportive community to lean on during these challenging times (and beyond). Whether it’s a group of friends, a social group, an activist group, or any group of people who commit to helping each other through.
Just Act Normal
It’s hard to go about daily life when you're systematically being squeezed from all angles financially. Every day, I am doing calculations about how much I make, what expenses I could cut, and how many months of rent and expenses I have in the bank, and what I would do if I had to use that up.
Democrats - who I used to think were the party that was looking out for me - let eight of their members go rogue and throw the healthcare premium tax credits under the bus. They threw working-class Americans under the bus. Why? Who knows. But Chuck Schumer orchestrated it, and it was likely to appease his wealthy donors. He, himself, voted no on the bad deal to save his own ass. But he did it. He allowed a group of less vulnerable Democrats to make believe that Republicans can be trusted with the welfare of working-class Americans, people they've made it pretty clear that they don't give a shit about.
I saw this comment on BlueSky, and it sounds about right:
Those eight Democrats didn’t “trust” that Republicans would do the right thing on the ACA vote. They’re not idiots. They’re career politicians. They know exactly what is going to happen and who will be hurt by it.
It's pretty much guaranteed that those premium tax credits are lost for good, and that's only the beginning of what MAGA would like to do to destroy our ability to have healthcare. I don't know who that benefits, but it obviously benefits someone, or they wouldn't be doing it.
Plus, despite continual assurance that the continuing resolution (CR) was “clean”, we’re now seeing that it included things like outlawing certain hemp products.
Healthcare Bullshit
The extra healthcare subsidies that Democrats were originally fighting for (before they caved) were for folks making more than 400% of the federal poverty level, so $60,000. I used to think you could live in Florida comfortably for $40,000 before 2020 happened, but now you really need $60k to be comfortable.
When I asked a Florida Blue representative why my premium went up by $200 (despite the fact that my taxable income is $24,000), they told me that Florida Blue is increasing its rates by a huge amount for next year. My subsidy for next year is $892. Last year's was $719. That means my subsidy went up by almost $200.
So, my premium must’ve gone up by almost $400 for it to cost me $200 more.
Thanks, capitalism! 🎉
Also, something important you should know for 2026 if you’re self-employed and get your insurance from the ACA marketplace: If you underestimate your income next year, you will have to pay back 100% of the subsidies that you shouldn’t have gotten. In the past, what you had to pay back was prorated depending on how close your income was to the federal poverty level. This is the current repayment limitation that will be going away for 2026:
I think the old system was fair because it’s really hard to tell what you’re going to make each year as a self-employed person, especially in the current chaos of the world. But for next year, it’s better to guess more than less. You can also go into your ACA application at any time during the year and adjust your income to be more if you can see that you have greatly underestimated it. This will, of course, change your health insurance subsidy for the rest of the year.
Game Changing Milk
I am sure I have mentioned that I bought powdered milk for the first time this year. The reason I bought powdered milk is that I will inevitably buy milk for a mac & cheese and then not use the rest, no matter how small the container. Or, worse, I won’t make mac & cheese because I don’t have any milk.
I was very skeptical at first about this powdered milk, but now I have made quiche, mac & cheese, and soup using this milk, and it’s incredible! This powdered milk has been a game-changer for me. The best part is that it’s shelf-stable for a very long time, so I took it out of the pouch and put it into a Mason jar to avoid any plastic from the packaging leaching into it. It will make great emergency food as well. If I don’t have access to oat milk for my cereal, I could use this in a pinch.
It comes in whole cow’s milk, goat milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, and organic coconut milk. A one-pound package makes 14 cups of milk.
⏰️ Currently
📖 Reading and enjoying the book, Martyr!
📚 Preparing for the book fair at Jack Kerouac House (that happened yesterday)
🥘 Enjoying cooking in this chilly weather