Jet-setting city slickers - business school - vertiginous corporate ladder - boardrooms - deadlines - daycare babies - more money - more consumption...
And then, out of the blue... A surfacing of unacknowledged desires - to connect with the land, to be self-sufficient, to watch little bare feet run through the grass and eat the fruit off the trees...
And soon, the vocabulary of my thoughts is transformed - fiscal goals, year-to-date indicators, policies and procedures give way to planting zones, organic pest control methods, homesteading and greenhousing.
So much to learn, my head swims and I can't Google fast enough: permaculture - hydroponics - aquaponics - composting - vermiculture - backyard chickens - laying hens - meat chickens - heirloom seeds - food preservation - well water - raised bed gardens - cover crops - rainwater tanks - drip irrigation - dairy cows - making butter - harvesting - fruit tree pruning - chicken coop design - geese - goats - rabbits - sheep - wood stove - easement - well pump - stable maintenance - seed saving - food dehydrating - chicken brooders - greenhouse design - solar panels - greywater recycling...
The topic may have changed but one thing is familiar: the excitement and anticipation of learning something new, of joining a new club. Whether it was starting out in my original profession, or going to business school, becoming a parent, moving to a new country, or now, moving to the country, I recognize the bubbling enthusiasm and all-consuming hunger for a new creative endeavour, and I know that this one is no more or less worthy than my previous or future ventures.
