Th3 Simple Questions

WHO AM I?

I am what feeds us in the food, what nourishes us, what offers health. I’m the secret ingredient that is no ingredient at all. I am more than minerals, fiber, proteins, and fats. I give the soil health and life through the agency of microbes, worms, and unseen living things. I give the seeds to those who, using ancient wisdom, care for their vitality and distribution across the world. I’m the freedom of the animals on the farm and the wild things that are there also. I’m the warmth and joy of the sun, weaving the seasons, the days and weeks. I am the air we breathe and the weather. I am the rhythms of the moon and the loom of sun, moon and stars of the night. I am the intricate, vast network of roots, water tables, creeks, streams, rivers, man-made dams and rain that connect each farm to us all. I am the tending, the weeding, the organization, care, and husbandry of the farmer and farm workers. The community gardens, the CSA farms, the neighbors breaking bread in meals that daily roll around the earth, time zone after time zone.

WHY AM I HERE?

The food is lacking without your enjoyment. I am the mother who works hard to see her family is nourished with love. I am the chef who studies the arts and sciences of taste and beauty to enrich your experience. I am your tongue which can tell and your nose which knows and your eyes which light up with delight at the extraordinary quality your artistry adds. I am the vintner whose love of terroir gives us the genius of another living being. I feed your skin and hair with beauty, oils and aromas that lift your soul. I am the doctors and pharmacists whose medicines harmonize your well-being. I am your sense of language to describe good things even with a simple “m-m-m-m!” You are an essential part of the food chain so eat! And when you are done, do not waste what is left. Lovingly returned to soil, compost will feed the insects, animals, microbes and earth to transform the food chain into a community.

WHAT DO I WANT?

Why do humans not lovingly nourish one another? Amid your abundance, how can you send one another to bed hungry? I want the goodness of your soul to be reflected in the goodness of the soil. I am what makes you human and I am what make the humus. I want the freshness and beauty of the first day of creation to be reflected in what goes on your table. I am what feeds you in the food. Children, feed one another! I am that I am. You are my hands and feet.