Uncomfortable Uncertainty

I have come to realize that my role in this lifetime is to hold the bigger vision. I am an eternal optimist and I can almost always see what is possible. I get excited by ideas and my connections with others feed the vision. Yet, there are days when I too do not feel so inspired and visionary.

In the corner of my mind, I wonder if the outcome of all of our amazing actions will amount to anything at all. I doubt our ability to impact the “super powers” who are the ones controlling our atmosphere, creating wars and supporting our false economy. Our actions or inactions are minute in comparison.

When I think of what the military is spraying in our skies, the micro-chipping of our population and the poisoning of the masses through packaged, processed foods - and the numbers of folks oblivious to it all – I get a bit depressed. Sigh.

In the bigger picture it is almost as if “climate change” is just a tactic to keep us distracted. I just wish that I lived in a time where I knew the net outcome of my efforts so I could best utilize the limited energy and resources I have. How comforting it would be to just know something for sure!

My great-grandparents lived in a time not so long ago and knew that if they planted seeds something was going to grow. In today’s quickly changing world we have no idea the result of our actions - even ten years from now. None of us really know what to expect the world to be like in the decades to come. We can only speculate about what kind of world our children will inherit and the challenges they will face. I wonder things like, will they have water to drink? Will they know how to grow their own food?
This is where the combination of strategy and organization comes in. If we create a plan and lots of us do it then of course we can create change…that’s what the tipping point is all about. But first we need to know what it is we are planning for. That is why it is essential that each of us reach out to one another. We must share what we do know to be true – even if it is in visionary form. And we must all hold each other up on the days where it all feels too big for just one person.

Perspective

It's all in the way we look at things that shapes our paths. I have been thinking a lot lately about the vision behind the co-op we are launching and the impact it will have on the surrounding community. I am also envisioning the kinds of people that will be drawn to the project and what will motivate them to get involved.

There will be obvious benefits from being either a consumer member or business member of our co-op and with the existing economy many folks will be seeking to join in search of savings. But I also think we will be attracting others who are seeking a different way of life. There are those out there much like ourselves who are more willing to pay the price for organic, local foods that are more sustainable - even if it means cutting down in other areas of our lives.

The idea of growing our own local economy and building community is of utmost importance. We are buying into the vision of a different way of life and the cost may have an initial price tag attached. Nnetheless, we beleive that in the long run the benefits reaped will be ultra cost-effective and manifest a better quality of life. The choices we make today will pave the way for future generations to follow.

Those of us who have been paying for organic food all along already have a more realistic price of the true cost of food. For others, the increasing food costs predicted over the course of 2008 and coupled with fuel costs might come as a shock to the budget.

Being that our family spends probably over 50% of our annual budget on food (including supplements, body care & home cleaning products), I have been surprised to discover how little most families actually allocate to this most essential "piece of the pie".

I was skimming a copy of a mainstream magazine that targets a more simplistic way of life and it outlined one moms monthly budget of $7,100. I was astonished to see that the amount spent on food was way less than the cable bill, pampering fees and entertainment costs. That amount excluded the outrageous cost of daycare and au paire services. The main concern for this mom was figuring out how to pay for private schools, and most likely a private school more concerned with what is being put into kids heads - not into their mouths.

I think this is a common theme for most moms today. We have settled for empty, packaged, processed food that is incapable of nourishing both body and soul. Food, the fuel that feeds both the bodies and minds of our growing children, is not valued with utmost importance. Children of today are developing substandard to the children of generations past - during a time where they need more strength than ever before to fast the challenges of the future.

The connection between health and diet is overlooked. Instead our culture connects more with the idea of over-medicating and over-consuming. The same magazine featured an ad by Target now offering color coded medications to help family members identify their personalized perscriptions. How insane is this? Yes, Target, we are a culture on drugs misled by savy marketing tactics like yours to convince the masses whose minds have been numbed that being "drugged" isn't such a bad thing! I say throw away the meds, turn off the tv and feed your children some food with real nutritional value. Now that's simplifying the budget.

Where to next?

No longer are we able to find our own way. In today’s world we rely on technology to show us what we need to know – the computer, the TV, the GPS, the ultrasound…
There are no internal cues to guide us. We have become dependent upon outside sources- dependent on technology to decipher our experiences.

It is a case of the directionless leading the directionless. And as a result, we have a big mess. Generations have become deaf to the non-verbal language of Mother Earth. Our internal compasses have been discarded. We are no longer able to interpret her subtle messages.

We have lost touch with the planet we depend upon. We are unable to recognize signs of fertile soil and toxic wastelands. We are ignorant to the heavy metals sprayed by our own government into our atmosphere that permeate our beings. We are blind to the devastation of our surrounding eco-systems.

We are stuck inside air-conditioned boxes that keep us separated from others plugged into an artificial world that feeds us more and more disillusion. We are sold goods that are deficient in nutrition and are known to be the cause of our suffering. All in the name of profit. We are their guinea pigs!

As women, we have been taught to distrust our bodies. We hand over our power to doctors who can only determine the position and size of a baby with radiation rather than the human hand. We have lost connection not only with ourselves, but to each other. We have carried that disconnection to our children. We parent from a distance and live our lives from a hands-off approach, rather than hands-on and then wonder what happened.

It is time to step outside the “safety” of our boxes and return to living our lives from places of truth. It is time to look to the skies and see what is really going on. It is time to plant our feet in the earth and say no to toxins leaching into our soils. Only when we open our minds to what is going on will we be able to affect real change in our world. We must take back our world before it completely disappears right before our very own eyes.

Community

Visions of community have filled my mind since the birth of my first daughter almost fifteen years ago. The ideas encompassed much more than extended family but rather a complex system of cooperation that was based on making healthy life choices in an unhealthy world.

Over the years I shared my dreams with many others seeking similar ideals. I have held tight to what others told me was impossible. Many have come and gone and even some have returned years later to see aspects of the dream unfolding. Today, on this beautiful full moon, I am beginning to sense the depths of much hard work as the dream comes full circle.

We are in the last stage of our renovations for the community space of The Growing Green Co-op that will open this July. The space will serve as a distribution point for sustainable products and services throughout Connecticut in a city that desperately needs to be revitalized. The community center will house our earth based programs for kids including our six week youth activist camp, a healing space and workshop space where we will show films, offer how-to classes, host community events and our year round farmers market.

We have reached the tipping point. When government and the economic marketplace fail to provide quality goods and services to the public, people have historically cooperated to provide for themselves and their families. Co-ops form in response to local needs. The Growing Green Co-op is a consumer driven co-op that has evolved out of a desire for availability of high quality, local, sustainable products as well as the desire to support local, sustainable businesses through our Green Business Referral Network.

We are a vibrant community of extraordinary like-minded folk who are determined to grow our local economy- including the development of our own "CT Currency" while walking more lightly on the earth. Around me I have my immediate community that includes my Beloved and all of our children, "green" business leaders joining with us who are also striving to lead the way towards sustainable living & community members that have such diverse interests and talents who are looking to share with others. We are growing by leaps and bounds.

Persistence does pay off, but for me, it is just proof that when we follow our truth then we are led to places of wholeness. The community I desired to raise my children in has manifested around me. We live in a most magical world.

Busy & Balanced

Many of us are beginning to feel the mounting craziness, if not in our own lives then in those around us. This presents an interesting predicament...how to be balanced in an unbalanced world. Here we all are - striving for balance in an attempt to make ourselves less crazy - yet living in a world that is getting crazier. This is the real test.

Finding our balance comes when we are strongly rooted - to our core, to the earth, to our visions. It requires daily practice. We learn from the insanity of our lives and our repeated attempts to stay sane. There is such a fine line.

I am bombarded daily with distractions of everyone around me. My children help me develop my meditation practice because they constantly pull me off my center. As a result, I have become diligent and well practiced at getting back on track repeatedly throughout the day.

It is most important at this time to remember what is important - to let our values guide our lives. We need focus, clarity of our intentions and direction. We need to strategize, organize, mobilize. This world is going to get a bit crazy and we need to be prepared - to put our multi-tasking talents to the test.

Most importantly, we must not get distracted. Our hearts will guide us to what is real and from there we can respond pro-active, positive manners. We must tap into our internal strength and begin to plan.

"I want to plan my future and realize that this is futile in the way I had once thought about that. Instead I am spending an enormous time weaving, circling, meeting, networking, bonding, collaborating, visioning and anchoring my roots to all the strength I was born with. " from ALisa Stakweather, posted on THE MAMALUTION network (http://www.alisastarkweather.com/).

Let us join hands, hearts and wisdom and grow this grassroots web of women who are (de)revolutionizing the planet.

Being a BUSY Mom

Some weeks are more busy than others. Sometimes unpredicatable things come up that need to be handled along with everything else that needs to be done or there are several major deadlines all culminating at once. It's been one of those weeks for me!

It is times like these when I have to step back and reflect on what I am doing to make sure that I am staying true to my path. Sometimes the panic, frustration, anxiety and stress can take over and cause turmoil. During these moments I may make a compromise - like skipping my morning yoga session for writing that has to get done...sometimes those deals extend for weeks. I may choose a massage or acupuncture over my yoga routine.




The trick is knowing when I get off center and pulling myself back. It is about being able to be in the moment even when we are not doing our most desired thing. It's knowing the rhythm of our own flow so that we don't do too much or do too little. It's about taking the moments to nurse our children, sit in a yoga pose without multi-tasking or be silent and just connect with our breath. It is about appreciating Mother Nature.

With practice, we naturally begin to gravitate towards this middle point. We begin minimizing the distractions in our lives so that we maximize our potential and not waste an ounce of energy. No more energy draining relationships, pointless conversations or visions that go nowhere. We begin to prioritize our lives, set boundaries and live our dreams - right here, right now.

Women in Agriculture Network

I had the great fortune to attend a local event that featured the founder of WAgN, Denise O’Brien, as the keynote speaker the other evening. I have to say I was inspired to find so much hope and activism right here within my own community. The genuine humanness displayed between this particular group of women, in a time when so much is being lost, was touching.

Not only did it affirm my belief that women have an intuitive, instinctual drive to sustain our species, but it confirmed that there are women out there doing something about it! As one women trying to get lots of ideas out into the world, it was refreshing to be in the company of other passionate women. It is comforting to know that there are many women holding the vision for a different kind of world.

There was a thoughtfulness that went into planning the entire evening - from the beautiful bouquets of flowers that adorned the tables, reusable plates and various antique tablecloths, to the awards recognizing women within the agricultural community. The genuine nurturing of the essence of the feminine was endearing.

It was also reassuring to know that there are other women out there who are just as concerned about our food supply and the infiltration of GM crops into our food supply. From college graduates to grandmothers, there was an internal knowledge about what is really going on in our world, displayed by the statements of concern.

More than any other time in history, women have the power to shift our world. The fact that for the first time in the United States women own a greater percentage of farmland than ever before is astounding. A survey conducted by the Women, Food and Agriculture Network , the two things women who own farmland want is: more families living on the land and the conservation of resources. Women inherently know what is true.

The words spoken at this event echoed my desperate attempts to convey my thoughts in the book I am writing. It convinced me even more that a need exists and that it is intended to serve as vehicle to convey the insight of women everywhere through their stories. If you feel compelled to share your story but are not comfortable writing it down and would prefer to talk with me in person, let me know.

Slowly, women are finding their voices and speaking up. In doing so there will be resistance to what we have to say and effort to keep us quiet. But the doors are opening and the scale is tipping in our favor. We outnumber the ones who are leading this world in the wrong direction. If we mobilize and support one another we can create the change that is essential for our survival. We can affect change that will be seen in our own lifetimes if we act quickly. A great potential for positive change exists right now at this exact moment in time. Let’s join together.