Watering the Seed--Adjusting and Understanding

Well Tuesday sure sprung up quicker than the muscles in my back would have liked! I was relieved to find myself transferring plants that morning rather than composting. I transferred quite a few plants and watered them. I used the soil from the worm composting, aka vermiculture, to transfer plants. There was just something about using the natural soil that was made right there on the farm. You knew exactly what was in it and exactly what it was going to do. Wednesday was really an exciting day for me. The food truck arrived bright and early with pounds and pounds of red cabbage, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and onions. After Bëlît mentioned the amount of food that was donated to them and how much of it really was still okay to eat, I began to pay closer attention. She told me that the FDA has regulations on the amount of days that food can sit before being fed to people and if any food misses that deadline, it was thrown out. No questions asked. I found countless tomatoes, cabbages and even some sweet potatoes and a few onions that I could have eaten right there. There were three other volunteers there and it sure made the tedious job of composting a lot more fun. All six of us laughed and cracked jokes about how composting was a definite stress reliever--ripping bags of onions open, dumping tomatoes, hauling boxes of sweet potatoes and tossing red cabbage around. The work seems monotonous and boring, but it really is about the people you are with. I met a young man by the name of Winslow who was a volunteer that day. We conversed as we dumped bags of tomatoes. At the end, there was something to be said for the image of the reds, purples and yellow/browns all strewn across the compost pile. Not only were the colors beautiful, but we really were putting that food, money and beauty back into the earth, and eventually back into the pockets and stomachs of local residents. There is a wealth of knowledge from these people that is really incredible. Everyone (workers as well as volunteers) comes from different walks of life, yet we can all come together and find common ground at the farm. I never once felt out of place. Being there really helps me to feel a stronger sense of connection with the world outside of cell phones, WiFi and other materialistic necessities of the 21st century. Simply looking at the way that my friend Ahe takes care of his body and spirit through aromatherapy and walks in the park after a long day with the many different scents on the farm shows me how truly out of touch I am with myself and my body. There is a sense of peace on the farm that I did not understand the first day. I arrived as the same busy, high strung, go-getter type of girl that had left her crazy life at home and it almost felt as if I had arrived somewhere truly rural. Although in reality we were right in the middle of Cleveland, Ohio, the people moved a bit slower and took the time to enjoy and appreciate everything around them. There was a sense of peace for me on the farm. A comfortable feeling. Like home.