3/27/08
i'm having a slow week. overcoming sickness, combating weather blues, and trying to stay afloat are wearing me thin. i told veronica i feel like a vacuum salesman. it's a sales job, she said. i didn't plan on having to sell anything. i planned on doing some good. word got round that i'm bored here. you shouldn't be bored. there's plenty for you to do here. did anyone spread the word that this just might not be the fit for me?
while i can be very persuasive when it comes to my personal beliefs, i was never a very good salesperson. i failed miserably at telemarketing because i couldn't push people if they weren't obviously interested. i have a hard time calling people and insisting they let me come and speak. it's not to say i'm not making the effort to connect. i've exhausted many methods. i've called, emailed, sent out letters, asked people to spread the word. now, i feel all i can do is wait.
i'm feeling stuck. i have a lot of conflicting feelings about all of this, the program, my placement, and my life in general. there are plenty of unresolved issues, from general dissatisfaction to wrestling with perpetual feelings of inadequacy. i'm not sure where to be with all of this. i know the program has given me opportunities, but it's also presented me with many struggles.
naturally, i have been dissatisfied with some things. there are, however, a few things i've learned. of these, i think the most important is the sense of self-satisfaction. i have met adversity, and have overcome it, and have even gotten the better of it. i've been recognized for my hard work and integrity. i've not only met goals, but have grossly over-succeeded.
i guess this is my way of saying that i'm proud of myself. i'm proud of all the work i've done, and of how far i have come in this short time. it's been a stepping stone (in some cases, a sinking pillar) toward my eventual happiness. there are things i've done during this term that would likely have gone by the wayside at any other time.
success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
- winston churchill
Thursday
Wednesday
3/19/08
i've been feverishly ill (my temperature lingering between 100 and 102) for about 3 days, and have stayed at work for two reasons:
1. i'm too poor to go to the doctor
2. i can't miss much work as all of my personal days have essentially been used up for custody hearings.
having given it some thought, it's really pointless to have the americorps health insurance, because state insurance is infinitely better. in fact, if i worked an easy job, i'd still qualify for state health insurance, child care, and food stamps. i'd never have to work weekends, and probably not too many evenings, either.
i keep asking myself, why am i doing this? it seems like i work so hard to do good, only to be batted down by injustice. the struggle to survive in a healthy way (mentally emotionally, etc) in a world full of robots, naysayers, bastards and pharisees is taking a toll. i am ill, and it's from stress wearing down my immunity, from negativity bearing down on me. i work hard, despite the little reward. i sacrifice, i act. yet, it's as if it's never enough.
again, i find myself asking, why? but i already know the answer. sometimes, i forget things i already know. i know that good work usually goes unrewarded. honesty is expected, and dishonesty is often times overlooked. but these are not my truths. my truths are simple and natural. my truths are holistic and do no harm. my truths are unconventional in the sense that they go back beyond where we are now. my truths are ancient:
earth my body
water my blood
air my breath
and fire my spirit.
-elemental chant
i do know that in spite of the consequences, i have to do what is right. i have to give, even if nothing is coming back right now. i can only hope, not expect, that it will come eventually in some karmic retribution. i know real family and true friends are the best medicine you could ask for.a bit crunchy, yes. but it works for me a whole lot better than anti-depressants . i'm not quite sure how i'm going to make it through the rest of this term with my dignity intact, but i'll do my best regardless of the silly obstacles.
"when dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane."
-hermann hesse
i've been feverishly ill (my temperature lingering between 100 and 102) for about 3 days, and have stayed at work for two reasons:
1. i'm too poor to go to the doctor
2. i can't miss much work as all of my personal days have essentially been used up for custody hearings.
having given it some thought, it's really pointless to have the americorps health insurance, because state insurance is infinitely better. in fact, if i worked an easy job, i'd still qualify for state health insurance, child care, and food stamps. i'd never have to work weekends, and probably not too many evenings, either.
i keep asking myself, why am i doing this? it seems like i work so hard to do good, only to be batted down by injustice. the struggle to survive in a healthy way (mentally emotionally, etc) in a world full of robots, naysayers, bastards and pharisees is taking a toll. i am ill, and it's from stress wearing down my immunity, from negativity bearing down on me. i work hard, despite the little reward. i sacrifice, i act. yet, it's as if it's never enough.
again, i find myself asking, why? but i already know the answer. sometimes, i forget things i already know. i know that good work usually goes unrewarded. honesty is expected, and dishonesty is often times overlooked. but these are not my truths. my truths are simple and natural. my truths are holistic and do no harm. my truths are unconventional in the sense that they go back beyond where we are now. my truths are ancient:
earth my body
water my blood
air my breath
and fire my spirit.
-elemental chant
i do know that in spite of the consequences, i have to do what is right. i have to give, even if nothing is coming back right now. i can only hope, not expect, that it will come eventually in some karmic retribution. i know real family and true friends are the best medicine you could ask for.a bit crunchy, yes. but it works for me a whole lot better than anti-depressants . i'm not quite sure how i'm going to make it through the rest of this term with my dignity intact, but i'll do my best regardless of the silly obstacles.
Tuesday
luck to you, michael.
3/17/08
something else i wanted to mention was what happened on our friday training. i brought the baby, and we had a great time at urban underground and at the justice talking session (we read the letter from the birmingham jail).
we were blindsided during announcements when james informed us we'd lost our first ally. he didn't say what the circumstances were, but it was pretty surprising. michael was on our tsp team, and it's strange to think that he'd made it this far only to stop now....
our class is huge, 35 allies, the biggest class yet. we've gone through a lot together so far, good and bad. but everyone's stayed in it, even when some didn't have placements. even when some got fired, or had to find new placements. even when we didn't have an executive director. even now, when we've only got two program managers. even tangled up in personal bristles, car crashes, rude comments, whatever. but until now, we'd all made it.
now, someone's gone. not just someone, but one of the team members i've become so comfortable arguing with. it's strange to think about our project without michael. he was really excited about doing his part of the project, about working with youth.
we'll miss you michael. stop in sometime.
something else i wanted to mention was what happened on our friday training. i brought the baby, and we had a great time at urban underground and at the justice talking session (we read the letter from the birmingham jail).
we were blindsided during announcements when james informed us we'd lost our first ally. he didn't say what the circumstances were, but it was pretty surprising. michael was on our tsp team, and it's strange to think that he'd made it this far only to stop now....
our class is huge, 35 allies, the biggest class yet. we've gone through a lot together so far, good and bad. but everyone's stayed in it, even when some didn't have placements. even when some got fired, or had to find new placements. even when we didn't have an executive director. even now, when we've only got two program managers. even tangled up in personal bristles, car crashes, rude comments, whatever. but until now, we'd all made it.
now, someone's gone. not just someone, but one of the team members i've become so comfortable arguing with. it's strange to think about our project without michael. he was really excited about doing his part of the project, about working with youth.
we'll miss you michael. stop in sometime.
Monday
death warmed over
3/17/08
st. patrick's day. there are about a million drunken white people (and a few assorted minorities) who woke up really early this morning to celebrate the myth of a man chasing snakes out of ireland by drinking green beer and eating various sections of over-cooked cows. de-lightful.
maybe i'm just bitter because i'm sick today. maybe it's the fever talking, the chills getting the better of me. or perhaps i'm just being unfair. but i doubt it. i've always hated st. patrick's day. in fact, i was pregnant during the festivities last year and swore to my yet-unborn son that should i have to celebrate his birth on this wretched day, it would have to be skipped altogether and he would never know the joy of a bumper-bowling birthday party.
enough about st. patty. let's get down to business. last week, i did a lot of table events and a couple presentations. one of the presentations was an utter disaster, as i didn't get home until 9:00 it night with a screaming child. on top of my delayed return to the roost, another red cross employee was present, and she pretty much covered all the material as it was an entirely spanish-speaking audience. sigh. it would have been nice to know that i would be utterly useless in this instance.
thursday was the public allies open house at the uwm school of continuing education. i think one of the other allies hit the nail on the head in terms of the success of the event: "it seemed like everyone was just standing around kissing each other's [you-know-whats]." i don't know that it was informative for anyone, but it probably "looked" really nice.
the most interesting thing i did last week was attending the restaurant expo with FAST (first aid service team) as the mouth for the chapter. it was neat, i spent most of the day watching people try and save choking chester, our dummy friend, by giving abdominal thrusts (also known as the heimlich maneuver) until he spit out a marble. it was harder than it looked. luckily, i was there to take care of things...
in addition to my incredible display of heroics, i sampled a gourmet meal i would have otherwise run shamelessly away from. jerry warned me it would be offered, and not wanting to miss an opportunity, i allowed myself to be led away to the table. here is a play-by-play account of the experience:
i was terrified. the other volunteer and i were sat at a table of high school culinary students who were also deathly afraid of anything that did not directly resemble a pot roast. as we waited for the meal to begin, i fielded the questions that have become standard by now: how long has your hair been like that? is it real, can i touch it? do you wash it? what's your tattoo? how did you get a job?
finally, the first course arrived. junior chefs threw the food at us as if they sensed our utter inability to really appreciate their artistic endeavors. this was the thing that drove me to palatial magnificence: putting my vegetarian armour aside, i took at least a mouthful of every meaty dare they brought.
our appetizers were all seafood. salmon roulade, clam gratin on the half shell, and crab and artichoke cakes were plated in a rich white sauce. i took frightened bites and was pleased to find the salmon did not in any way resemble the fishy fish taste of lenten french fries. the gratin was crunchy and interesting, and the crab cakes were unspectacular.
the salad was exciting, but again decadently carnivorous. it was mixed greens with rabbit two ways and blood-orange sauce. the two ways happened to be a rabbit-sage sausage and a rabbit loin. again, i braved the challenge, but couldn't bring myself to enjoy any of it. the sauce was bitter, and the salad was destroyed entirely by weird over-cooked egg croutons. the high-schoolers hated it even more than i did, as many were from a small town and had their own pet bunnies.
we were served something more traditional for the main course. the chef dropped pork loin (2 loins in one day, who'd have guessed...) and braised root vegetables off. this was more to the liking of the table, myself included. though i abhor pork, i was very excited to eat the blue potatoes and yams. it was really great, and drowning in a butter sauce quite like one might expect from a hard-working grandmother.
the crown jewel of the whole experience though, was the desert. how long i waited! how deserving we all were! having experimenting long enough with fleshy iron-chef-style concoctions, we were elated when cheesecakes laced with berries and fresh sauce accompanied by freshly caramelized almond cookies dipped in heavenly dark chocolate (food of the gods!) arrived before our bulging eyes. this was the only thing that disappeared entirely from all plates.
after my incredible gastrointestinal feat, i sat on my laurels, terribly excited to say i'd done a fine job in spite of my primitive fear of all things once conscious.
st. patrick's day. there are about a million drunken white people (and a few assorted minorities) who woke up really early this morning to celebrate the myth of a man chasing snakes out of ireland by drinking green beer and eating various sections of over-cooked cows. de-lightful.
maybe i'm just bitter because i'm sick today. maybe it's the fever talking, the chills getting the better of me. or perhaps i'm just being unfair. but i doubt it. i've always hated st. patrick's day. in fact, i was pregnant during the festivities last year and swore to my yet-unborn son that should i have to celebrate his birth on this wretched day, it would have to be skipped altogether and he would never know the joy of a bumper-bowling birthday party.
enough about st. patty. let's get down to business. last week, i did a lot of table events and a couple presentations. one of the presentations was an utter disaster, as i didn't get home until 9:00 it night with a screaming child. on top of my delayed return to the roost, another red cross employee was present, and she pretty much covered all the material as it was an entirely spanish-speaking audience. sigh. it would have been nice to know that i would be utterly useless in this instance.
thursday was the public allies open house at the uwm school of continuing education. i think one of the other allies hit the nail on the head in terms of the success of the event: "it seemed like everyone was just standing around kissing each other's [you-know-whats]." i don't know that it was informative for anyone, but it probably "looked" really nice.
the most interesting thing i did last week was attending the restaurant expo with FAST (first aid service team) as the mouth for the chapter. it was neat, i spent most of the day watching people try and save choking chester, our dummy friend, by giving abdominal thrusts (also known as the heimlich maneuver) until he spit out a marble. it was harder than it looked. luckily, i was there to take care of things...
in addition to my incredible display of heroics, i sampled a gourmet meal i would have otherwise run shamelessly away from. jerry warned me it would be offered, and not wanting to miss an opportunity, i allowed myself to be led away to the table. here is a play-by-play account of the experience:
i was terrified. the other volunteer and i were sat at a table of high school culinary students who were also deathly afraid of anything that did not directly resemble a pot roast. as we waited for the meal to begin, i fielded the questions that have become standard by now: how long has your hair been like that? is it real, can i touch it? do you wash it? what's your tattoo? how did you get a job?
finally, the first course arrived. junior chefs threw the food at us as if they sensed our utter inability to really appreciate their artistic endeavors. this was the thing that drove me to palatial magnificence: putting my vegetarian armour aside, i took at least a mouthful of every meaty dare they brought.
our appetizers were all seafood. salmon roulade, clam gratin on the half shell, and crab and artichoke cakes were plated in a rich white sauce. i took frightened bites and was pleased to find the salmon did not in any way resemble the fishy fish taste of lenten french fries. the gratin was crunchy and interesting, and the crab cakes were unspectacular.
the salad was exciting, but again decadently carnivorous. it was mixed greens with rabbit two ways and blood-orange sauce. the two ways happened to be a rabbit-sage sausage and a rabbit loin. again, i braved the challenge, but couldn't bring myself to enjoy any of it. the sauce was bitter, and the salad was destroyed entirely by weird over-cooked egg croutons. the high-schoolers hated it even more than i did, as many were from a small town and had their own pet bunnies.
we were served something more traditional for the main course. the chef dropped pork loin (2 loins in one day, who'd have guessed...) and braised root vegetables off. this was more to the liking of the table, myself included. though i abhor pork, i was very excited to eat the blue potatoes and yams. it was really great, and drowning in a butter sauce quite like one might expect from a hard-working grandmother.
the crown jewel of the whole experience though, was the desert. how long i waited! how deserving we all were! having experimenting long enough with fleshy iron-chef-style concoctions, we were elated when cheesecakes laced with berries and fresh sauce accompanied by freshly caramelized almond cookies dipped in heavenly dark chocolate (food of the gods!) arrived before our bulging eyes. this was the only thing that disappeared entirely from all plates.
after my incredible gastrointestinal feat, i sat on my laurels, terribly excited to say i'd done a fine job in spite of my primitive fear of all things once conscious.
diversity and anti-oppression: classism
3/07/08
friday training this week started everyone of with a surprise.
well, almost everyone. reading over the scoop (the ally newsletter that keeps us up to date on training locations and topics, as well as assorted ally news) i noticed that we would be having a training on classism. rather than a particular ally be responsible for bringing snacks, public allies would be feeding us.
this immediately sent up a red flag. after being in public allies for this long, i know every promise comes with some tricky lesson. rather than leaving it to chance, i prepared myself a delicious breakfast and arrived promptly at 9:00, coffee cup in hand.
as we were ushered into the training space by dave (who, by the way, was dressed in a fashion that as quite reminiscent of the monopoly man), we were to pull a piece of paper out of his top hat. 5 groups were indicated on the papers and so we were arranged.
it was immediately apparent what would be happening. the first table was set with an assortment of breakfast condiments and beverages. the second table had cereal boxes on them, andthe 3 tables further in succession were set with slips of paper. as we filed into place, or alternately, were curtly escorted to them by a pushy monopoly man, the ruckus began.
the program managers brought out 3 glasses of milk, an orange, and a big bowl of brown rice for the 3 tables in the back portion of the room, most of which had at least 5 people. the table of 4 in front of ours was given coffee and an orange to complement the ceareal. what started the trouble was what was given to the people at the first table.
the fellows brought out pancakes, bacon, and eggs, setting them down courteously in front of the four people in front. something that was strange about the set-up of their table: while the rest of us were sitting in circles or squares, facing our "families," that first table was positioned so each person was looking back at the other tables.
there were six people at my table with me. on the table were sheets of paper informing us about the status of our "family," the dwyers. our fictional family consisted of five: the father, a newly-hired police officer; the mother, who stays at home with the kids; a daughter, high-achieving student and talented musician; a foster daughter, with multiple sclerosis; and a son, envious of the attention his sisters get.
there was another sheet of paper listing our income, expenses, and personal assets(a television, camera, and vcr). a third sheet of paper informed us that our family was living in a rented 3 bedroom on the west side, and that we were in substantial credit card debt. the foster daughter was awarded $500 monthly for care expenses, but later on, would be removed from the home due to charges of neglect resulting in a loss of income and a trip to the welfare office for legal aid.
eventually, everyone who wasn't at that first table started asking when the food was coming. were we going to get bacon too? the first table ate, guiltily at first, but eventually forgot about the rest of us. soon, everything was gone from their table, while the brown rice and cups of milk remained on ours, room-temperature and untouched.
when the program managers started asking questions about how everyone felt, the responses were really interesting. some folks decided that the 1st table was the upper class, the central table was the middle class, and the last tables were the lower class. some noticed that we only spoke to the people in our "families," primarily mumbling about how upset we were.
at the end of the simulation, when people found out they weren't going to be getting breakfast, they were really angry. i suppose that makes the point even stronger, not only about the differences in class (where for some, having breakfast really is a priveledge) but also the obvious differences in quality of nutrition available.
durring the break, many allies went straight to mcdonald's, even though some of them were complaining loudly about the quality of food available in the community only last week. i got frustrated again, because i'm tired of hearing people complain, only to go right back and perpetuate the cycle they are bitching about.
people really do go hungry right here, people can't afford to live a fair life. i think we forget sometimes that as allies, we are fortunate to have decent paying jobs, and for that matter, the opportunity to have this chance. most of us aren't responsible for an entire family, and even if we are, we get foodshare benefits. we all make enough to make ends meet, if we live within our means.
we may not be rich, but we've got something.
friday training this week started everyone of with a surprise.
well, almost everyone. reading over the scoop (the ally newsletter that keeps us up to date on training locations and topics, as well as assorted ally news) i noticed that we would be having a training on classism. rather than a particular ally be responsible for bringing snacks, public allies would be feeding us.
this immediately sent up a red flag. after being in public allies for this long, i know every promise comes with some tricky lesson. rather than leaving it to chance, i prepared myself a delicious breakfast and arrived promptly at 9:00, coffee cup in hand.
as we were ushered into the training space by dave (who, by the way, was dressed in a fashion that as quite reminiscent of the monopoly man), we were to pull a piece of paper out of his top hat. 5 groups were indicated on the papers and so we were arranged.
it was immediately apparent what would be happening. the first table was set with an assortment of breakfast condiments and beverages. the second table had cereal boxes on them, andthe 3 tables further in succession were set with slips of paper. as we filed into place, or alternately, were curtly escorted to them by a pushy monopoly man, the ruckus began.
the program managers brought out 3 glasses of milk, an orange, and a big bowl of brown rice for the 3 tables in the back portion of the room, most of which had at least 5 people. the table of 4 in front of ours was given coffee and an orange to complement the ceareal. what started the trouble was what was given to the people at the first table.
the fellows brought out pancakes, bacon, and eggs, setting them down courteously in front of the four people in front. something that was strange about the set-up of their table: while the rest of us were sitting in circles or squares, facing our "families," that first table was positioned so each person was looking back at the other tables.
there were six people at my table with me. on the table were sheets of paper informing us about the status of our "family," the dwyers. our fictional family consisted of five: the father, a newly-hired police officer; the mother, who stays at home with the kids; a daughter, high-achieving student and talented musician; a foster daughter, with multiple sclerosis; and a son, envious of the attention his sisters get.
there was another sheet of paper listing our income, expenses, and personal assets(a television, camera, and vcr). a third sheet of paper informed us that our family was living in a rented 3 bedroom on the west side, and that we were in substantial credit card debt. the foster daughter was awarded $500 monthly for care expenses, but later on, would be removed from the home due to charges of neglect resulting in a loss of income and a trip to the welfare office for legal aid.
eventually, everyone who wasn't at that first table started asking when the food was coming. were we going to get bacon too? the first table ate, guiltily at first, but eventually forgot about the rest of us. soon, everything was gone from their table, while the brown rice and cups of milk remained on ours, room-temperature and untouched.
when the program managers started asking questions about how everyone felt, the responses were really interesting. some folks decided that the 1st table was the upper class, the central table was the middle class, and the last tables were the lower class. some noticed that we only spoke to the people in our "families," primarily mumbling about how upset we were.
at the end of the simulation, when people found out they weren't going to be getting breakfast, they were really angry. i suppose that makes the point even stronger, not only about the differences in class (where for some, having breakfast really is a priveledge) but also the obvious differences in quality of nutrition available.
durring the break, many allies went straight to mcdonald's, even though some of them were complaining loudly about the quality of food available in the community only last week. i got frustrated again, because i'm tired of hearing people complain, only to go right back and perpetuate the cycle they are bitching about.
people really do go hungry right here, people can't afford to live a fair life. i think we forget sometimes that as allies, we are fortunate to have decent paying jobs, and for that matter, the opportunity to have this chance. most of us aren't responsible for an entire family, and even if we are, we get foodshare benefits. we all make enough to make ends meet, if we live within our means.
we may not be rich, but we've got something.
rockabilly chili
3/2/08
this weekend was 91.7 wmse's 6th annual rockabilly chili cookoff. some allies took it as a service day and worked the event selling tickets and hawking tee shirts.
i decided to take the early shift to catch up on some of the hours i've been missing from all the court dates. in order to get to the event, i had to ride the bus from my house. on sundays the city bus runs a staggered schedule, so in order for me to get there on time, i left the house at about 6:30. if i'd have made the coffee, i'd never have gotten there.
the event was really great. there was an awesome turnout and the wmse wranglers were once again awesome. there was chili and adult beverages a-plenty, as well as fantastic american music. i will admit, i did shake it a little bit while selling tickets.
it was nice to do some real service work . rather than just sitting around, i sold tickets and helped out the entire day. there were so many people to meet, so much chili to taste. i saw a few other allies, and they looked like they were having a blast too.
according to dictionary dot com, one of the definitions of chili is as follows:
chili (n)
chili (n)
1. ground beef and chili peppers or chili powder often with tomatoes and kidney beans
2. very hot and finely tapering pepper of special pungency
2. very hot and finely tapering pepper of special pungency
well, given that i wasn't partaking any ground beef, i don't know what you'd call what i was eating, but it was great! i had all sorts of vegetarian chili, including pumpkin, eggplant, and avocado varieties! kate was there, laughing every time she heard me insist "i love chili. seriously."
this probably happened every 5 minutes.
the thing was rockin, the food was awesome, the experience was a good one.
here's a picture of the event, can you find me? hint: i'm in a red shirt. it's kind of like where's waldo...
resistance is fertile
2/29/08
"the old lakota was wise. he knew that man's heart away from nature becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans too. "
-chief luther standing bear
today we had an ally-led training about the impact of food on our health and well-being. i think a lot of people take it for granted how something so fundamental can have such a profound effect on all aspects of life.
the team presented on a variety of issues like diabetes, high fructose corn syrup, reading nutrition labels, and the importance of urban gardens. naturally, there is always more to talk about, but i feel that the information presented was comprehensive and informative.
the evil of the day was basically summarized by flamin' hot cheetos. as we struggled with some identifier, i am struggling with my feelings on the topic. i am a believer in conscious nutrition, in movement, and in all forms of self-sufficient existence. we should take care of ourselves and our children by respecting the functions of our bodies. these are our temples, right? why would you fill your temple with garbage only to be surprised by its inevitable decline?
rather than just talk about all the problems, this group took the approach of saying, "these are the problems, and here is the information you need to educate yourselves to make change." for some reason, even this was met with conflict, as most things in our group often are
jackie talked about urban gardens, and also brought seeds to plant. i thought that was an awesome way of saying, "here. now you can do something." but rather than going the route of action, some of the allies poked at her, insisting perfect answers for everything: what if there's lead in your soil? what about war affecting food? why should people bother to eat local or organic? even after she answered the questions to the best of her ability, or suggested the name of an organization of someone who could, one of the allies mouthed, "she doesn't know what she's talking about."
to me, it seems that jackie is one of those allies who lives what she believes in. though she may be quiet, she's always willing to take action when she encounters an injustice. she's also one of the first to offer a helping hand or good suggestion.
to me, it seems that jackie is one of those allies who lives what she believes in. though she may be quiet, she's always willing to take action when she encounters an injustice. she's also one of the first to offer a helping hand or good suggestion.
i find that there are times i am so busy pointing out the flaws of others that i hardly have time to correct my actions. we cannot force change on others, only in ourselves. i think that if we take those small steps, greater things can happen and things can right. having this training reminded me of my grassroots, literally. my first acts of defiance involved plants and nutrition when i became a vegetarian and grew herbs in my bedroom windowsill. it was such a simple act, but looking back on it now sheds a light on how i came to be who i am.
if our bodies are not nourished, how will we find the strength to nourish our minds? if we are irresponsible with the resources the earth has to offer, they will be gone. the key to progress in the truest sense is sustainability, not more progress. there is more than enough here if we can learn to be more self-sufficient.
the very act of gardening is synonymous with freedom. what is more revolutionary than having control of your own life, starting with the food you put onto your table? if it is grown in windowsills or backyard plots, there is no need to worry about what mystery substance is being introduced. there is no high fructose corn syrup, no strange hormone, no trans fat hiding in a bunch of fresh-picked spinach.
what are we waiting for? resistance is indeed fertile.
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