Today, I warmly invite you to dig in with me to my lunchtime musings. :)
...my makeshift bibimbap
The modern Western world has its advantages. We have our fancy personal communication devices to use for pretty much anything, we can go to the grocery store when we are hungry, and we can choose what we do for a living to pay for it all. It's all very handy. As I was cooking an early post-vinyasa lunch for myself today though, I realized (not for the first time) there are some major drawbacks to these conveniences.
I have a coworker (now friend) who lives off grid at 10,000 feet in the mountains of Colorado. Last weekend, my hubby and I drove up this insane mountain road (then back down it, only to have to call her from the bottom to rescue us) to hang out with her and her partner at their homestead. We were super excited, because as we prepare for our own off-grid lifestyle, we are constantly looking to connect with similar people, share ideas, and pick up tips for efficient living.
We had a terrific time at their 'stead. We got to meet her brilliant 13 year old son, as well as all their chickens, their one plucky little rooster, and their 6 month old puppy. We slept overnight in their greenhouse (if you've never slept in a greenhouse, I highly recommend it), and in the morning as we were hiking down the hill to the cabins, we were greeted by their comical, weirdly cartoony flock of turkeys. I waved to the chickens on my way past the coop while one of the large female turkeys pecked away at my Uggs.
I got to visit a lot with those birds, and I helped collect a couple eggs. I couldn't help thinking that I seriously can't wait until we are living a lifestyle where chickens and turkeys following us around our own property is a reality. On our way out, my friend bestowed upon us a carton of their eggs.
Oh, those gorgeous blue and brown nest fresh eggs! :-)
Coming back to my early lunch today though, as I was frying up two of these vibrant little eggs, I found myself thanking my chicken friends for allowing me to collect and consume the products of their life for my own energy. It was automatic, and it actually caught me off guard. I can't honestly remember ever thanking a chicken as I fried their eggs up, and I wondered why I wouldn't have. It seemed like exactly the thing to do, every single time. It just made sense. As I was cooking away, I realized that the reason I thanked them at all was because I connected with them. I did say "chicken friends", and gosh darn, I meant it. I loved hanging out with those little ladies! And here I am, eating the literal fruits of their labors.
Frying it up with gratitude! Thank you, chicken friends.
As I mentioned, it's nice and all living in the modern world. But the drawbacks as I see them are so much perceived separateness that we forget to connect with all of the most basic things at the most basic level. I mean, this is the food we EAT. This is the Energy and Medicine we are putting into our Temples, our own body-minds, and most people have no connection at all to the source of it. The chickens, the farmers, the dirt it grows in, the water falling from the sky giving it all life, even the truck drivers who deliver us all of our fancy food goodies, all of these things contribute to our well-being and we have NO idea. Of course we don't. How could we begin to appreciate a process that we never see, never learn about, never connect with? Living in abundance of product but falling short on the journey from ground to plate? I'm not trying to say that Western humans have no gratitude, what I'm saying is more that we are so far removed from the most basic processes that connection becomes a novelty. And then we wonder why we surprise ourselves when we look into a frying pan and thank a chicken.
Thanks to my new friends, I made an amazing lunch today after my yoga class. This meal was full of gratitude, connectedness, and mindfulness, and as I ate, it felt like good, pure energy. I also had an exciting revelation. I'm ready to learn more, see more, do more, anything that connects me with the world around me, with the goodness of the food I eat, with the Medicine I absorb. I am ready to go back to living in a way where gratitude makes sense.
... So ready.
P.S., I really wish I had a pic of my hen friends to share, but alas, I was so wrapped up in the moment the entire weekend that I left my camera in my bag. I will also consider THAT to be a great blessing :-3
P.S.S., I also realized as I was writing this all down, that this is EXACTLY what is meant by freedom, the freedom to harvest eggs, the freedom to produce or forage your own food, and the freedom of mind to have a sense of gratitude for it all... and have decided to dedicate this post two days early to 
Happy homesteading everyone. Even (especially) if you are urban homesteading, and still finding ways to connect.
x
The Tree of Life
