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Giving and Receiving - by Tessa Altstatt, Garden Intern Summer 2014

9/1/2014

2 Comments

 
PictureTemperature Gauge at about 130 degrees.
Today was sort of a smelly day. 
I had the pleasure of chipping food and plant waste into the compost bins with Douglas and the scent was enough to turn every one of my insides and twist all facial expressions into unpleasant formations. I had to remind myself that this was good, that it would turn into something full of life, full of microorganisms, tiny vertebrates and invertabrates, all working together in the perfect balance of air, water and heat. 

PictureRock art at the Beacon Hill Food Forest.
When we peek inside the compost bin all our eyes can see is a pile of soil, but what our eyes don't see is that this pile holds an entire world of connections. The soil is but one microcosm inside our planet and if we give it what it needs to be healthy, it will give us what we need to be healthy and we will hopefully go on to use the energy given to support something in need and if a stream of healthy relationships continue, we are left with a healthy Earth. 

There are infinite connections in the world and Songaia has proved to contain a strong connection between everyone inside it's own community - when help is needed, there is someone who can provide what is asked for. 

In a world full of needs, there is always help and if we broke down concrete barriers and wooden fences, what we needed might be nearer than we expected and what we have to offer might be of use to someone also just as close. 

Picture
Let's learn from the soil, praise it even, and remind ourselves while chipping that our purist form of energy is derived from what we don't need anymore. What we don't need creates a tiny world of it's own and that world eventually feeds us. The balance of giving and recieving is all around you, even right below your feet. 

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." - The Beatles
2 Comments
Carol Crow
9/8/2014 01:32:54 am

Nice article, Tessa! Very rich use of words! We are very pleased that you chose to spend a part of your summer at Songaia being a part of our community!

Reply
Nancy Lanphear link
9/8/2014 06:05:41 pm

Tessa,

Thank you for your descriptive and beautiful words. Loving compost is necessary and seems to come in various ways.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Reply



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