Illustration by Lars Leetaru
Here’s my hot take for the month: It takes all kinds of people to make the world go around. Did I blow your mind? No? Wait until I hit you with my next two: Grass is green, and the sky is blue. Let me explain why I’m being Captain Obvious.
I reached out to two of our favorite writers, Carrie Blackmore and Rodney Wilson, to help organize, research, and write our “Homesteading Is Where the Heart Is” section. I knew they were into self-sustainable living, but the depth of their knowledge and enthusiasm kind of surprised me. During an initial brainstorming Zoom call they gabbed about interesting local groups and people: “What about him?” “How about her?” “We need to highlight this organization.” “Can’t forget those classes.” Two realizations hit me immediately: I was way out of my league, and I was so happy they wanted to be involved.
Later, as they submitted their stories, I had my light-bulb moment. Why did Carrie, Rodney, Victoria Donohoe (who joined the merry writing crew), and Senior Art Director Emi Villavicencio get so much joy and satisfaction from these sustainability efforts? I try to do my part by recycling and not being wasteful, but why didn’t I grow up with their fascination or develop it later in life? Answer: Because everyone is different.
Some of us are born into certain interests or lifestyles; Rodney writes in his essay about happy childhood years spent on his grandparents’ rural property. Some pick up new ideas in school, in the neighborhood, or through friends. And some encounter topics we don’t know anything about and say, I’m going to try that, and off we go.
My role in putting together this issue was to ask questions: Can you explain what that means? Is there a class for learning that skill? Is there a website for more information? Who can talk about the benefits of foraging, joining a community garden, building your own furniture, or growing native plants and vegetables? Throughout the process, I kept asking myself a question too: How can I get more involved in these things?
Start small, but start. Obviously.
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