Discovery is always a thrill, no matter the season, but there is something about the new tendrils of growth and baby shoots to invigorate the senses. Right up until the allergies hit, we can breathe a little deeper and feel that things are about to change. It feels like a shift we can translate from our wilder (and wider) environment to our human scales.
That is sort of the theme this year, we think: human scale. Focusing on what we can do with our direct care and responses, honing in on our small measures, while keeping our integrity and universal goals in mind. We won’t really have much choice in the matter, so it is good to prepare that ground — really get the regenerative juices flowing and the soil fertile, giving back as much as we take (if not more, because we take).
We’re finding that to do so, we need to spend a little more time on the things that nourish us. We want to keep our minds open and sharp and to do so, we need to not focus on the things that damage us. J is from VT and I’ve now lived in New England longer than anywhere else, the fundamentals of social justice for American society are questioned here (with many historical corrections to be made) — the pragmatism of ecological care is deeply ingrained, and direct discourse used to be encouraged. As many of you might know, we are connected with The Good Life Center, the educational homestead of Scott & Helen Nearing, and feel very strongly that there is good ground to grow from there. There is a lot to discover about the past to care for the present and prepare for the future. We’re Goddard College students, for Scott’s sake! (see what I did there — ha!). Fed from Bread & Puppet fires, wading in the waters of Lake Champlain, and traversing the Long Trail. And like the Nearings, we’re here now in lovely Maine — connected to the ocean and the mountains, hanging with the sturgeon, eating wild blueberry pie, and feeling like there is still moments and growth to be discovered and inspired by.
We live in one of the most supportive civil rights regions of the U.S. — which somedays is hard to remember. We have water (though yes, might need some care and cleaning up, but we have it!), we have fertile ground, we have all the geographical richness which means we have the tools to also have the most resourceful innovations to create community (both human and nonhuman). But we have to focus and not be distracted by the noise — the literal noise of negativity and energy-sucking regressions, by the pitfalls and setbacks (failures are opportunities to find new solutions). It’s hard. It’s hard every day, but we have immense privilege here — even in our everyday struggles and situational experiences. This human scale is our superpower because we can make community with each other, one by one. We can change many things that fall into our personal sphere and act accordingly in the world with integrity and care.
Spring. When the fullness of life reminds us of change.
Rock Bottom Homestead 