Aromess - Spike

i came out to my mom when i asked her to help me knot my aro bracelet. she asked if the colors meant anything, so i took my chance and told her. she was kind of rude about it, telling me i was “boxing myself in” and “setting limits for myself at a young age.” (for reference, i’m 18.) i sent her an article explaining what aromanticism is, and she read a few paragraphs and then just said more of the same.

i was hurt by it, but that night she gave me a note telling me she was sorry if she hurt me and she loves me “no matter how i identify.” it made me feel better, but she… hasn’t really stuck to it. months later she’s still saying things like “you’ll fall in love someday” and refusing to listen to me when i say i might not. despite the apology, she absolutely will not accept the fact that i’m aro. i’m still pretty hurt by it, but i put on the bracelet to spite her and it made me feel slightly better lol

Submitted May 13, 2023

There is hope. I promise. Young people just won their case against the state of Montana. Ecuadoreans braved escalating political violence to vote against oil drilling in the Amazon. Brazilian deforestation is down by enormous amounts since Lula took office. They’ve invented hydropanels that synthesise pure water from the air. People are farming in solar parks. A ship just launched for its maiden voyage using rigid sails designed to mimic wind turbine blades. EV sales are taking off, and, more crucially, cities are re-assessing their very relationship with the car. By the 2024 Olympics the river Seine will be safe for people to swim in again. More and more people are replacing their gas boilers with heat pumps. Solarpunks are growing crops in their back garden and distributing them to their neighbours. Great tracts of land are being given back to nature. Young people are channelling their energies into meaningful careers. Pilots are leaving the aviation industry. Yes, the world is dark and terrible and full of awful dangers that keep you up at night, but we are a huge movement that grows every day in numbers and power. Your small actions matter. Our collective triumphs are increasing. Things are going to get harder, extreme weather will be more common, but with ingenuity, resilience and crucially, COMMUNITY, we can build an equitable world on this strange, tired old planet. See you in the future.