When I am at work at one of my favorite places, Sustainable Renton Community Farm (SRCF), I have a tendency to think a lot. It is my form of contemplative motion. I would like to think that this type of thought-action could be considered a meditative practice, it has indeed become this way for me.
During the past year my soul has been exacerbated and overwhelmed with the grinding division of politics. I have found myself needing, more than ever, a way to act in honor of hope and in recognition of a meaningful revolution. Facebook shares, likes and rants are not enough “action” for my mind and heart to be at ease. Twittering is unintelligible and useless in my world.
I require an avenue to express my desire for transformation, my need for feeling engaged and a place where I can work towards being the change I want to see in the world. SRCF has become that place for me.
Yes, I am doing mundane gardening chores. I am turning the compost pile, readying the soil for planting, laying burlap and topping it with woodchips, chopping the wood and carrying the water, so to speak. These are the ordinary tasks that can make the extraordinary elements of life more apparent.
The idea that planting a seed is an act of hope and that saving a seed is an act of rebellion are not new to me but those thoughts have been in the forefront of my mind recently. These actions, among others, are the very things that make doing service with Sustainable Renton my chosen path of resistance.
In this global economy, building a local economic infrastructure is even more innovative than ever. In this world where corporations achieve more power than people, the development of cooperative community endeavors could not be more disobedient and I love it.
Sustainable Renton is a very small non-profit working with a shoe string budget; however, with the generosity of Celebration Church and the fortitude of some tenacious folks we have created and sustained an amazing community “farm”. This is a place where people can get their hands dirty and get connected to the earth again or perhaps for the first time; a place where gardens are planted for the sole purpose of fighting against food insecurity and injustice in Renton.
Rebellion comes in many forms and can be present in a variety of acts ranging from small to explosive, from daily to one time grandstands.
It is my hope that if Sustainable Renton continues to engage in the small, daily acts of rebellion that one day we will create an explosive grandstand towards change whose effects will linger in Renton for generations to come.
If you would like to get involved please contact us at sustainablerenton@gmail.com or visit our website www.sustainablerenton.org
Hope to see you at the farm!