First, I lost my favorite body lotion. Next, it was my favorite xylitol chewing gum. Don’t even get me started on our rights, liberty and what’s left of our humanity.

We see things we love, need and desire slip away from us on the daily. Or, at least, that’s how it feels. And we can’t get stuck in a scarcity mindset because of that. A slippery slope. 

Instead of going down that slide, we have to notice how much we do have rather than what we don’t. Nope. That’s not toxic positivity. That’s realism. 

Things are going to change, not always for the better. Um, hello! Still, we can choose to look forward and build rather than lament what was lost. Because the scarcity mindset causes a lot of harm, not just to ourselves, but in the grand scheme. 

Take a look around. I call this awful timeline we’re existing in The Great Unhappiness, and part of that stems from a scarcity mindset. 

It’s a great trick, right? 

There’s only so much that can go around. Resources are limited. Get yours or you’ll lose out, especially if others are getting what you should have. That’s what they want us to believe. And they shove it in our timeline all the time.

Hurry, only X amount of days left to act! Hurry, only X items left, buy now! Hurry, only X mins before your cart expires and you’ll lose this once-in-a-lifetime deal! 

If you don’t hurry, if you don’t stay on alert, if you don’t take it first, you will lose out. That’s how some people win. Think of Black Friday, right? Funny how Black Friday seems to happen a whole lot more than it used to.

Scarcity is a ploy that’s used to keep us scared and angry. And we need that way of thinking to fuck all the way off.

Scarcity worms in when we think someone else is getting something we aren’t. It’s very schoolyard thinking. It’s also effective. Scarcity creates competition and enemies. Bad actors who are out to take from you.

I have some disabled friends who are advocates and they point out in their work how their lives have changed in recent times, not only with cutbacks and policy changes, but with attitudes. Some able-bodied folks have it in their heads that being disabled gives people a free ride. Like it’s some sort of cushy gig. I even heard a man complaining about disabled parking, saying, and I quote, “Why should they get all the good spaces?” Seriously. WTAF?

A friend told me what it would cost if/when she had to replace her vehicle and get it modified for her wheelchair. Raise your hand if you want a $100,000 minivan. Not quite a free ride, is it?

And gawd forbid we try to level the playing field because, come on, if some SOB had it hard, well, then everyone should! That’s some sharp-as-a-marble logic.

It’s not pie, people. I wish I knew who said that first, because I would hug them. If you know, please message me. It’s not pie. Someone getting a slice does not mean you’re going to go without. It doesn’t mean we need to hoard — I’ve got mine, screw you if you don’t get yours! No. That’s a scarcity mindset. 

There is plenty to go around. Just look at what certain people can spend things on when they want to. Universal healthcare, though…you want that, go pound sand while pulling yourself up by your boot straps with the jobs AI is going to take away. Make it make sense.

It’s like no one ever heard or read the “Stone Soup” folktale. We were sitting crisscross applesauce when we learned that when we all work together, when we all share, we all benefit and end up with something better, something more than expected.

Let’s go back to the assumed perks of disability. Do you like to text message your besties? Thank the hearing impaired. Audiobooks? Thank the seeing impaired. Enjoy taking your dog into the grocery store. Blind people fought for that right. Like curb cuts when you’re wearing high heels, carrying a heavy load or dragging luggage across the street? What about automatic doors? The list goes on. All those wonderful life enhancers and conveniences are ours because disabled people fought for what they needed. And look how we all benefitted. 

Who’s getting the free ride now?

A scarcity mindset can sneak up on us. Notice it if it starts to creep in. And point it out to others when they start to spiral. Because it really isn’t real.

Do I miss my cocoa butter lotion that smelled like heaven? You bet. But it’s gone. And I found a lotion that makes my skin feel like velvet. Do I miss my gum? Yep. It was the perfect cinnamon. And even my second choice has gone poof. But it’s just fucking gum. I’ll live. Do I weep every time we lose a bit more of our humanity? Girl. 

But here’s the thing: What an empty pie pan shows us is what’s possible. If we do run out of pie, we can make more pie. A better pie. Because we learned a lot from the first pie and the second and the forty-sixth. We know what we need to do and how we can do it better. There will always be pie as long as we want to put in the effort to make pie.

We don’t solve the scarcity mindset by being greedy and hoarding. We solve the perception of it with generosity. Dispel the myth of it by scooching over to make room at the table. Bring everyone together for a glorious bowl of Stone Soup. 

We know what to do. It’s just deciding to do it. Especially when few people are. And that’s the fun part of being a happy fucking rebel. xo