Last Saturday, I attended the fifth Geography of Hope conference in Point Reyes Station. Even though this is a literary festival, I was drawn to it because the theme was Women and the Land.
The panels throughout the day discussed the use of language and its importance in preserving our relationship with nature. By the end of the day I found myself with a page full of wonderfully inspiring quotes that I had quickly scribbled down as various authors, activists, growers, and naturalists spoke. One of my favorites came from Robin Wall Kimmerer, as she spoke on the subject of living in reciprocity with the land, she said “We have forgotten, we are surrounded by intelligence other than our own.”
As a farmer you experience this on a daily basis as a hawk soars over head, you see a seedling bend towards the sun, and a bee stop by flower only to be distracted by a lizard running into the nearest hole that a mole created. I know that I don’t farm alone, but with nature.