This season is our first year of actual farming. And we are definitely new to this. But we have some incredible people on our team. This winter has been about distilling, organizing, planning. But more than that, it has been about getting to know each other.
This project is a little over a year old. And we are learning a lot as we go. Don’t move too fast, but don’t move too slow. Move at nature’s pace. And that is a very challenging pace when the rest of the world is frantic in its speed, and the overwhelming sense of urgency never quiets.
But nature teaches you to work with the cycles, adapt your plans, rely on your team, build strong systems. Build healthy social soil. While we tend to the earth’s soil, we have to tend to our own as well.
It's the health of our social soil that will determine if our roots are strong enough to withstand the winds of change we are all feeling in the world.
What does it mean to cultivate healthy social soil? We are starting to see that it means allowing space for our emotions to compost, watering each other’s ideas, shining light on each other’s shadows, and learning to enjoy the process of the work, not just anticipating the harvest.
The road is not easy. It is bumpy and uncertain. We are learning what it means to be in relationship with the land. With each other. With a larger community and the world at large. What does it mean to be a good human? How do we start making a shift in the way we are existing in this world? What are our own principles that we hold ourselves to?
We start asking “what would nature do?”. And in nature, we see nodal networks. Mycelial networks, root systems that send information, resources, food to each other across great distances. A self-organizing system. And then we apply those principles to ourselves - our building methods, our organizational structures, our understanding of relationships and people.
We are here to learn. To try new things, and apply old wisdom. We are here to make mistakes and learn how to work together. Learn to be humble and ask for advice, and stand our ground for what we believe is kind, honest, and fair.
We will be slowly and organically rolling out new ideas, products, events, offerings, and ways to get involved over this next year. We’d like to build a playground for all ages. And the real question comes down to: How do you want to play?
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