Bethaney, you articulated something that's been percolating more and more in me lately! I live in the city and recently started volunteering with a community garden nonprofit semi-regularly, and it has been the MOST unexpected, life-giving rest for me. Not only is it connecting me to the earth and where things come from, it's also a wonderful connection to people outside my normal paths. It's making me dream bigger for my own backyard, too! Thanks for taking the time to put this into words🤍
Katie, reading your comment brought me so much joy. My initial foray into "A More Beautiful Way" also came through visiting a community garden, and then taking an internship managing school gardens in Metro Atlanta. Gardens are sacred places, and I find even the most unkempt plots to be restful. I'm so excited for your journey, and hope that your backyard garden plans continue to emerge!
“convenience, as easy as it seems, is effectively rest without responsibility, which all too often becomes nothing short of extraction.” -- this thought made me pause. thank you for putting language to something i feel so deeply in my day-to-day life. there is a pervasive sense of dissonance in my soul because of the disconnect between all the easy, modern conveniences i enjoy, and a deeper longing to be connected to the sourcing of the energy, food, and possessions i require to live my life. i think the question i am left with after reading this is: how to bridge the gap between growing awareness and practical application? living a modern city life feels like being on a conveyer belt. it’s SO hard to opt out of all the easy, mindless, extractive practices and resourcing. it can feel exhausting, quite frankly, to be constantly having to choose “the narrow way” and find ways of moving slower and more mindfully when everything around you is built to make you numb and blindly a part of the system... thank you for sharing these thoughts and prompting greater self-awareness and discussion 🤍
Thank you for sharing your reflection, Mary Claire. I resonate with the sense of being on a conveyor belt of sorts. There are many benefits to being in a city. I personally love the food, the diversity, the music, the immense creativity. But I think practically embodying a greater sense of connection and reciprocity does start with awareness, and with taking baby steps to close the loop when you can. Maybe its through composting or seasonal eating. Maybe it's through supporting local farmers and working towards less use of plastic. I have the impression that you already do some of these things, :), but...yeah, I think baby steps matter. And if your soul continues longing for an even slower pace and a different way of being, then to keep listening to those nudges.
Bethaney, you articulated something that's been percolating more and more in me lately! I live in the city and recently started volunteering with a community garden nonprofit semi-regularly, and it has been the MOST unexpected, life-giving rest for me. Not only is it connecting me to the earth and where things come from, it's also a wonderful connection to people outside my normal paths. It's making me dream bigger for my own backyard, too! Thanks for taking the time to put this into words🤍
Katie, reading your comment brought me so much joy. My initial foray into "A More Beautiful Way" also came through visiting a community garden, and then taking an internship managing school gardens in Metro Atlanta. Gardens are sacred places, and I find even the most unkempt plots to be restful. I'm so excited for your journey, and hope that your backyard garden plans continue to emerge!
“convenience, as easy as it seems, is effectively rest without responsibility, which all too often becomes nothing short of extraction.” -- this thought made me pause. thank you for putting language to something i feel so deeply in my day-to-day life. there is a pervasive sense of dissonance in my soul because of the disconnect between all the easy, modern conveniences i enjoy, and a deeper longing to be connected to the sourcing of the energy, food, and possessions i require to live my life. i think the question i am left with after reading this is: how to bridge the gap between growing awareness and practical application? living a modern city life feels like being on a conveyer belt. it’s SO hard to opt out of all the easy, mindless, extractive practices and resourcing. it can feel exhausting, quite frankly, to be constantly having to choose “the narrow way” and find ways of moving slower and more mindfully when everything around you is built to make you numb and blindly a part of the system... thank you for sharing these thoughts and prompting greater self-awareness and discussion 🤍
Thank you for sharing your reflection, Mary Claire. I resonate with the sense of being on a conveyor belt of sorts. There are many benefits to being in a city. I personally love the food, the diversity, the music, the immense creativity. But I think practically embodying a greater sense of connection and reciprocity does start with awareness, and with taking baby steps to close the loop when you can. Maybe its through composting or seasonal eating. Maybe it's through supporting local farmers and working towards less use of plastic. I have the impression that you already do some of these things, :), but...yeah, I think baby steps matter. And if your soul continues longing for an even slower pace and a different way of being, then to keep listening to those nudges.