We Survived 2015!

2015 came in with a bang – then it went off the rails. We kicked off the 5th World Tour with Morocco where death and destruction was in our face. And then my grandma died unexpectedly a few months later. 5 had seemed like a big phat number that we couldn’t wait to celebrate big – but 3 months into 2015, I was wishing it would end immediately.

I felt a lot of guilt and was drowning in it. There were days where I kept asking myself, M’THR F’K. Why can’t I be Superwoman? Like Mariah Carey, my other super hero, why can’t I shake it off? Why is it only when death happens that people gather and share stories of the person lost? You hear stories about them and others, you discover a side that you never knew existed. Maybe it was inspired by my grandma’s death, but I wanted more. I wanted to connect with people on a deeper level. I wanted to hear their stories. What could I learn from them?

When I came out of my funk, I moved slower and with more intention. I traveled differently. My focus was still on hunting down the raddest office supplies – but my energy was also on connecting deeper with the people I met during sourcing trips. I wanted to connect with them like I do with so many RAHstrs. I wanted to spend time with strangers-turned-instant-friends – people who I knew I’d make time to see again. Didn’t matter if it was Google Chat, WhatsApp, snail mail or however, I wanted genuine connections. And I wanted to share them with RAHstrs.

Maybe it worked. This year we connected with so many badass locals – we created so much awesome with so many rad people we met during our low-down adventures. We connected and learned and featured their stories in our Maker Profile series.

So what now? Well… the last year was transformative. It reminded me that change is ok. That shit happens. And it made me reflect on all the changes we’ve gone through and will continue to experience.

It also reminded me that RAD AND HUNGRY is M’THR F’IN super-duper special. Do y’all realize how you’ve helped create this ginormous amount of awesome? I remember the cards and emails I received after we sent the newsletter announcing my grandmother’s passing and my need to take time off. I recognized the names on each piece of mail. How many business owners can say that they know the first and last name of hundreds of their customers, and that they’ve made it into her personal address book? I can.

To all you RAHstrs – thank you. Thank you for caring about RAD AND HUNGRY. You guys allow us to do what we love, you guys cheer us on, you guys always have our backs. And we’ll always have yours.

oxxo, Hen and the RAD AND HUNGRY posse

Top :: Silvia Dionisi, Bookshop Owner, Rome, Italy // Brackish, Design Duo, Seattle, WA // Derek Muller, Stationer, Edinburgh, Scotland // Middle :: Daniela Poch & Ignacio Serrano, Screen Printers & Graphic Designers, Santiago, Chile // Miguel Angel, Master Tin Craftsman, Oaxaca, Mexico // Papeleria Family, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil // Bottom :: Rogelio, Shop Owner, Oaxaca, Mexico // Yanis, Alex, and Efi Bouzaki, Bookshop Owners, Athens, Greece // Jorge, Craftsman, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil