The Three P's of Little Farma

Four summers ago a bamboo-like grass swept through the flower beds surrounding the new house we had bought in the country.  I don't like pulling green and growing things including weeds yet the sudden spread of whatever this was alarmed me.  By day's end, I had five extra large plastic bags of some grassy weed with which I didn't know what to do. 

A few days later I dropped in on Jay at Burgess Falls Nursery and mentioned my weed bags.  Jay said as long as the weeds didn't contain seed I could place the bags in an out of the way place and eventually have compost.  I did and forgot about them.....until this year.

Recently I needed some compost and remembered the bags.  I don't know why I was surprised, as Jay's tips are usually right on, but I opened one of the bags and just as he said I found, smelled and saw dirt.  To smell and see with my own sensory self the piles and piles of green grassy things I had collected, then forgotten become rich, granular soil was magic to me.  It's popular to say 'Believing is seeing' but in this case seeing and smelling was believing for me.

There's something rich about being involved in the making of one's own compost, dirt and more recently mulch.  It's all about the process and experience. Neither are found in depth through opening a bag of dirt bought from a store (though I'd be dishonest to suggest I've not bought bags of dirt from Jay, Tractor Supply and the Co-op in the last few years).

Little Farma values process as well as the cultivation of presence and patience.  I don't know about you but I've spent a lot of my life being episodically present, not continually showing up, but going through the motions day in and day out just to get things done.  Something about getting my hands dirty has helped me become aware of my inner presence as well as my relationship with Earth.  Something about this process has taught me patience when I wasn't even conscious of being taught.  Something about this process heals me.  Yes, when I am not in a good place physically, emotionally or mentally I can go outside and within moments of getting my hands in the dirt something shifts literally within me. 

I'm not suggesting everyone should quit their medication and resort to digging in the dirt.  At times medication is necessary(and I don't want to put myself in a position of getting sued).  But I do wonder what experiences might open up emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually for people if they reached for a trowel or spade instead of pills.

Little Farma values presence, process and patience as well as turning the soil.  It's good for the soil and soul. 

-Dawn, The Good News Muse, 20 November 2012

dawn@imaginetheshift.com