Monday, March 28, 2011

Cultivate Harmony

In search of clarity? Me, too. Here's a Lau Tzu quote and a new meditation/poem to help us on our quest.
In Japan, 2009. photo by Emily Erwin.

Cultivate harmony within yourself, and harmony becomes real;
Cultivate harmony within your family, and harmony becomes fertile;
Cultivate harmony within your community, and harmony becomes abundant;
Cultivate harmony within your culture, and harmony becomes enduring;
Cultivate harmony within the world, and harmony becomes ubiquitous.

Live with a person to understand that person;
Live with a family to understand that family;
Live with a community to understand that community;
Live with a culture to understand that culture;
Live with the world to understand the world.

How can I live with the world?
By accepting.

-Lau Tzu, in the Tao Te Ching



In waiting for opportunity, I've denied it.
Fearing failure, I've dismissed success.
In struggling for ease, I've crafted difficulty.
Acquiescing, I've withheld my truth.
Asserting ability, I've forgone capacity.
Attempting to contain, I've lost control.

Welcoming humility, I dismiss failure.
Acknowledging fear, I banish shame.
Resisting action, I bypass reaction.
Accepting weakness, I allow release.
Declining responsibility, I dispel obligation.
Avoiding attention, I circumvent tension.

Imbalanced, I allow myself to fall.
Forgoing power, I regain self.

-a meditation on clarity, March 28, 2011
  

Thursday, March 17, 2011

KinderGardens are here!

Oh my goodness, I'm so excited! After years of inventing hands-on lesson plans for all sorts of learners, I decided it was time to create an adaptive gardening curriculum that would make green learning available to everyone, especially homeschooling families and folks with physical challenges.
Linnie, picking day lilies.
Surely, I reasoned, there are lots of families that want to garden but don't have the time, the space, or the first idea as to how to make their green dreams a reality.
What they need, I reasoned, is a literal immersion course in the natural world. And with that -
behold, the KinderGardens program  was born!
Avie, gathering eggs from under the hens.
My hope is that with time, the program will branch out and be a resource for elders, public school groups, and everyone who is interested in growing their own delicious and beautiful foods. I'm a firm believer in the healing, teaching power of nature. For more information, check out the KinderGardens page, and feel free to send me any suggestions and ideas you've got - learning, like life, is an interactive adventure.
Another learning day at Bloomfield Farm.

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