staying connected in times of disconnection
13 Aug 2017this weekend (like many other weekends, and days, and weeks), white supremacists are on the loose (particularly in charlottesville, virgina). they are more on the loose lately because of 45’s lack of desire to alienate portions of his base.
many folks i know are doing things in response. my response is to write quietly in my corner while i rest and prepare to focus and work hard this week. some may call this selling out. that’s fine. it’s what feels right to me.
the resting and prep stuff is all private, but the what i wanted to write about was this:
in times like these when there is so much that could tear us apart (including disagreements about which group(s) to thank for the “unite the right” rally being shutdown before it could start), i’m thinking about methods and tools for connecting us to each other.
i’m thinking of my friend charlie’s artwork (which i’ve written about here and here). i’m also thinking about four other very specific vehicles:
1. kombucha scobys
i’ve been making kombucha and giving up scoby children for several years now. i can think of at least five people who have scobys from me. in this way, i am connected to those folks and them to me.
2. sourdough starter
similar to above, i’ve given away some of my sourdough starter to probably five people. i got it from an academic advisor of mine, who got it from her father who got it from his father. the grandfather supposedly would keep some on his person at all times, even when he traveled… to keep it safe and the right temperature, and also to be able to make bread whenever he wanted. our guts (and everyone who has ever eaten bread from this starter) are connected in that way.
3. seeds i save
i try to save some seeds from everything i grow every year. it saves money for the next season and it lets me share seeds with folks in my community. i lost a big chunk of my collection in a recent move, but i’ve still got some heirloom tomatoes (gifted from some old italians in somerville), basil, arugula, and a few others.
4. worms
i have a worm compost bin and i’ve given worms to at least three people. in this way, our worm bins are parts of the same initial population. the creatures that help us turn our food waste into useful soil supplements are related.
so yea. i think the antidote to disconnection is connection. we can (and must) continue to connect. even in ways that don’t seem so obvious.
words / writing / post-processing
447w / 16min / 8min