Winter is a great time for contemplation.
Pedro was sitting in his favorite chair this morning, watching the birds in front for what must have been about an hour! Western blue birds, female blackbirds, flickers, robins, and towhees – they love the cool, moist weather we have right now as much as we do (though we certainly enjoy it in different ways!).
This is usually our time for seed ordering, but we ordered early after seeing the shortages over the last year as a result of pandemic panic. We are just about done… despite the large stack of gorgeous seed catalogues on our table! And it is rainy, so no farm work, aside from making sure the animals are fed and housed. Holidays are over and cleaned up, the fridge is stocked…
And so we are freed to dream.
Calendulas are some of the hardest-working flowers in our garden: they germinate in spring, bloom all summer, and thrive through the winter, too! We use them in salads all year long, and dry their petals for tea. Calendulas also provide excellent forage for pollinators in times there’s almost nothing else!
I was lucky enough to be part of an online workshop earlier this month focused on the work of community organizers, and imagining what we want for our future. So much of what we think about (and organize around!) is what we don’t want: we march against police violence, complain about corporate takeover of our lives, ignore indigenous values and foodways, and neglect the climate catastrophe. Spending energy on these is like coddling a porcupine! It is bad for us, bad for the problems, and bad for our community. Consciousness of these issues is important, but as we spend our precious winter hours of deep thinking, how much better to envision what we do want for our future?!
In this workshop we were asked to create a list of actions and values that are the root of why we do the work of community organizing. We then turned those words into positive statements of what we are working towards. We got into small groups and read through those phrases: thoughts of intergenerational partnership, better listening, an equitable and inclusive economy, Native American Indian values that grow to include all of us who live in this place. Wow! I am energized just recalling these visions!
My work in this workshop was focused on my community at large, but I always have Oliview at my heart. The reason Pedro and I got into this gig called “farming” is because of the center it provides to all of our lives. Food is a connection to the earth, and done with reverence, it allows all of life to flourish. Food is a connection to our culture, the souls of our ancestors, and the flavors of diversity. It is a connection to humanity. Growing food locally and with patience and hard work also is an act of love and belief in our shared future. It is an act that helps in our resilience against the consequences of past actions. Growing food ties us to our place and each other in a way that nothing else can.
This is us living our values and our faith that we not only can, but will do better. This is our winter meditation and contemplation. We, like the birds, are busy provisioning ourselves. We are doing that essential inner work that will fuel us through the challenges ahead: through the coming Central Valley summer and beyond.
Love to you and cheers to a new year. We hope you have time for contemplation, visioning your actions in support of the world you want to see in 2021 and beyond.
Love,
Elizabeth
The Mission olive trees are contemplating their next move right now, as well: it’s quiet time, but the buds are forming and the 2021 crop is already envisioned!