Seeds of Simplicity
“Plain country folk with rounded bodies,
Skin turning to bronze in the valley heat.
Why talk to them about Tao?
They eat when they are hungry.
They sleep when they are sleepy.
Even a sage with infinite permutations,
Could not match their simplicity.”
~Deng Ming-Dao
The axe falls, wood splits and my eyes open. Someone has already begun to greet the day and filtered down through the sage and pinion to the Big House to prepare the morning fire so we can have hot water for tea.
I linger with sleepy eyes between the warmth of my sheets searching my morning practice–find three things I am grateful for before my feet hit the cool earthen floor beside the bed. Almost always these days, one of these things is the simple peaceful life that I am here on the farm learning to live.
Out here in this desert landscape, we are governed by the signals from the seasons and the complex life of power lines, crosswalk signals and strip malls full of mostly unnecessary items fade into the realm of parallel universe.
Out here, there seems to be no question as to WHO we are, because who we are depends on what we do to sustain ourselves and what we are able to reap from the earth. There seems to be no distinction between self and the land because so much of what we do and what the land does is all interdependent. And everyday there is something to do in order to ensure sustained life. This is what I have found, anyway, to be true of living closer to the earth.
The fragile sense of identity I brought with me to this farm–one constructed on a constantly shifting foundation of what I was climbing or skiing, what performance art I was exploring, how many yoga classes I was teaching, what music I was listening to, what festival I had been to and so on– has been cultivated into a powerful, resilient sense of who I am and what I value.
No gas powered tool has ever been used to break the acre of earth that we garden in here. A quiver of long handled hoes, rakes and sturdy shovels garnish the entry way into our solar powered shop. Each time I pass by these tools, I am reminded of the value of placing yourself one degree closer to the hand-to-earth connection. I reawaken to hard earned wonders of simplicity in action and joyfully embrace a life removed from ease and convenience remembering that everything which I value has come from a sizable investment of heart, patience, work, and gratitude.
When I step onto my mat or sit in meditation, I feel the gratitude that comes from living simply permeate my skin and dissolve into my core. I am able to more readily accept what is in my moment of experience in my physical body and beyond to the world off the mat.
The experience I am having on the farm is one which I feel privileged to have each day that I am here. Especially considering I know this is not my final landing place, my days here are precious. But I know that once I no longer reside here, this kind of simplicity has become part of my cellular memory and the sweetness of its flavor will always be present and accessible.
Out here, I’m not learning to create identity as a farmer…..I learned to see the interdependence of all of our experiences….I am learning what is and what is not necessary to be a human being.
