5SR - January 5, 2024

Hitha on insulin, Anne Helen Petersen, and the power of grandparents

Author

Hitha Palepu
January 05, 2024

Today’s curator is the founder of #5SmartReads, Hitha Palepu. She’s a consummate multihyphenate - CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals, author of WE’RE SPEAKING: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris and How to Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip, and professional speaker. Hitha is an unabashed fan of Taco Bell, Philadelphia sports teams & F1, romance novels, and is a mediocre crafter. She lives in NYC with her husband and two sons.

Moms for Liberty have met their match. Meet Grandparents for Truth.

“Instead of supporting book banning, educational gag orders and far-right political candidates, the left-leaning elders, and their allies, are mobilizing to give children what they call “the freedom to learn.” Members are speaking out against censorship at school board meetings, backing progressive school board candidates and organizing against extremist ones. They’re writing legislators to urge them to take a stance against bigotry. All the while, they’re demonstrating that scores of older people are invested in fighting school policies that ignore the role communities of color and queer people play in society.”

Recently launched as a project of People for the American Way, Grandparents for Truth is focused on growing membership and mobilizing members in areas where book bans are being introduced and school board races have a strong M4L presence to knock on doors, speak out at school board meetings, and introducing a “freedom-to-learn” agenda to counter M4L’s fear-mongering rhetoric.

Voters over 50 (many who are grandparents) are the most reliable voting bloc in the United States, at all levels of government. We have a lot we can learn from our elders on practicing citizenship, and this is a fight I’m delighted to join.

I call her the queen of cultural nuance. Amy tapped her “the voice of a micro-generation.”

And if you’ve been here for a while, you know how much I admire Anne Helen Petersen’s work (which I frequently share here on 5SR).

The modern shift to learn and speak in soundbites is antithetical to Petersen’s careful analysis, going wide and deep, on the issues that pique her interest. Whether she’s writing about modern work and burnout or our parasocial relationships with Peloton instructors or Trayvis (check out her highlight - it’s excellent), you leave the piece feeling like you just had a long conversation with your smartest friend.

Rarely are writers the subject of an interview. I’m delighted that Amy Shoenthal (another one of my favorite writers) got the opportunity to go wide and deep with Petersen, talking about everything from Substack’s current challenges to millennials’ exploitation in the workforce to her own relationship with work and worth.

It’s worth a read. And if you haven’t subscribed to Petersen’s newsletter, please do! It’s one of my favorites.

In for 2024 - investing in indigenous communities and their practices for cultural preservation AND to combat climate change.

One example is the cultural and spiritual practice of “paakai”, or salt, in Hawaii.

There are only a few remaining salt patches in Hawaii, whose sacred salt must never be sold (but can be given away or traded). Between climate change and development, these tracts - and the practice to preserve them - is under significant threat.

Protecting these salt patches by preventing sand dune erosion and building up wells’ edges will also protect and mitigate other climate disasters.

Reading about the reverence and spiritual connection that Native Hawaiians have with this practice and this salt is both beautiful and urgent. And I hope it’s something we can protect while we still can.

The re-entry to school and work after 2 weeks at home together has been a tough transition for us. But this practice - a short, focused child-led play session - may be the trick to help us ease into and enjoy our normal routine.

“The concept, developed by psychologist Sheila Eyberg in the 1970s, is simple. For at least 5 minutes a day, sit down with your child and join them in an activity. That includes drawing, playing with dolls, building blocks — anything that doesn't have a right or wrong way to play (like video games), says child psychologist Kerrie Murphy. Don't ask questions or give commands — this is your child's time to be in charge.”

When I think back on our mornings and evenings on weekdays, it involves me and my husband barking orders (and the constant “take a bite!” “wipe your face!” “wash your hands!”) and doing very little listening.

At this point, I’ll try anything. And this seems like a lovely way to keep the deeper connection we built over the break going.

Ending this week’s reads on a necessary, uplifting note - insulin prices from the Big 3 manufacturers are now capped at $35/month, for private insurance, Medicare, and uninsured patients alike.

The insulin cap for Medicare patients introduced in the Inflation Reduction Act certainly catalyzed this move (there were already significant discounts and rebates for many insulin products, though it added confusion and complexity for the patient). To see this necessary drug be affordable and accessible to all - without the extra layers of red tape - is a spark of hope for better access and affordability for other life saving medications.

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