I've always had a thing for food. Hours have been spent in stores, roaming the aisles, dreaming of potential meals, admiring the variety. Like a meditation, except with a bigger dent in the checkbook - especially given my obsession with all things organic. They (those experts) say - for health, shop the perimeters of the store, where the produce is. That way you avoid the processed foods in the middle.
This year, I decided to do it differently.
As of 4 weeks ago, Paul and I have become farmers. Taking it a step beyond signing up for our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), we chose to do a work trade instead. And let me tell you, each row of turnips, radishes, spinach, kale, lettuce, bok choy, dill, green onions, beets, mixed salad greens, arugula, and chard are supersized and flavorful.
Every Monday morning, one of us drives the windy road above the river towards the San Juan Ridge, arriving at the glorious Mountain Bounty Farm. Each week is different, ranging from picking turnips to thinning carrots to digging out the weeds with a hoe. The interns wash and package a box full of organic goodness, then deliver to you - a CSA shareholder.
For those of you new to the CSA concept, here is the nutshell version:
As a consumer, you pay a certain amount weekly/monthly/seasonally depending on how you and the farm set up the agreement. In return, you receive a box filled with local, seasonal, fresh, and organic food. Additionally, you get the oh so good feeling that you are supporting a local small business, increasing your own health and well-being, and minimizing the negative environmental impact that occurs as result of buying food that has been shipped many miles (using expensive & polluting gas).
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking all grocery stores. I could get lost all day in a Whole Foods Market. I have even frequented Safeway for their Organics brand or the natural foods section at Raleys (if everything else is closed). My favorite, of course, is the local food Co-op, Briar Patch. I get my veggies from the farm, I get my toilet paper from the Co-op.
See, I'm not an all or nothing kind of gal. It's about balance. Every step you can take towards a healthier you, and a healthier world, counts. I've often heard about people feeling bad because they think they aren't doing enough to "Save the world." I've also heard staunch environmentalists say that their way of life is the only way we are going to turn this world around.
Instead of focusing on what you aren't doing, what isn't working, and arguing that your way is the best - take a breather. Look at what you are doing to make a difference, what is working well, and what you can continue to do to help. It starts with changing how you are thinking about it.
Come back to Let Your Life Bloom in the future for more links, books, and other resources for being healthy and sustainable (and feeling good about it).
In the meantime, comment here, tell me - What are you currently doing to care for your health? For the health of the planet?
Comments