The Way of Things

It is with giddy childlike delight that I drift in from my herb garden with fresh oregano and basil to chop and toss on the zucchini and onion sauteing on the stove. It is an incomparable pleasure to catch a whiff of a fresh herb. And then to get this bee to hold still on the oregano long enough to take his picture was another glorious moment.

I had no idea of the intangible benefits a 100 mile diet would bring. What began as an experiment to see what it would be like to eat locally has become so much more. By being willing to take on the challenge of change, we are finding ourselves more open human beings. As our perspective shifts, so does our ability to see a wider range of options opening before us.

It takes courage to move out of old paradigms and to try on new ones. There is an illusion of safety in what is known. But as we have stepped out into the unknown, we are having our eyes opened to the most amazing things.

One who lives in accordance with nature
does not go against the way of things.
He moves in harmony with the present moment
always knowing what to do.
--Lao-Tzu

Living in accordance with nature is not always easy for a city dweller. We tend to be emotionally and physically very far away from our food. We forget that the quality of our air is dependent on the green things around us. It can be easy to overlook the rhythms of life, the pit pat of rain, the rising and setting of the sun, the change of the seasons and the interconnectedness of all of it, of all of life on this beautiful planet. But when I go to the farmers market and see the array of freshness that bursts forth, calling me, connecting me with the earth and its people, I am reminded that the art of the farmer is in those colors, the weaving of soil and seed and seasons into a tapestry of life. This is food, life giving, healing, sustaining food.

Remember?