On Simplicity

I was reading through some of my first posts from the original Raw Summer back in 2007, and was reminded about how I’d dedicated my cleanse to not only my body, but to my surroundings as well. I’d proclaimed to get rid of excess stuff and simplify my belongings and life. How fitting to revisit now, as I transition to life on the road.

As mentioned briefly before, I am planning to be a farming intern this summer through WWOOF. Therefore, I am currently working on giving away, selling, and donating most of my “stuff”*. I am trying to pare down to the essentials. I feel like minimizing is a constant process in my life, evident by the fact that I write about it often and it always seems to be needing done again and again. I don’t consider myself a hoarder by any means, but tend to like pretty (though usually cheap or free) things like thrifty home decor. Nevertheless, it is stuff I will need to purge in order to travel as freely and easily as I desire. My friend gave me a great compliment by saying, “You are already pretty minimalist,” in response to my proclamation that I wanted to be. However, the more I learn, the more I develop the idea, the more I garner inspiration from others, the more I up the anti on my own simplicity goals.

So, once again, I find myself wanting to shed unnecessary “stuff” from my life as well as nourish my body more fully through raw foods and the avoidance of negative nutrition. And it is spring. Here in Richmond the wind is blowing and the flowers and trees are in full bloom. Nature seems to be damp and fuzzy. Soon, summer will begin my adventure of living off the land, learning to be more self-sufficient, experiencing real food production first hand, and listening to the stories from those who know it best.

I’ll finish this post by sharing some very inspiring quotations I came across today on simple and non-conformist living:

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” – Seth Godin, Tribes

“Life is indeed bloody short and no one is going to give you a gold star for playing it safe.” - Almost Fearless

* By “stuff” I mean clutter, excess, non-essentials, anything that makes me feel bad or obligated, or doesn’t serve me as a useful and productive item, anything I haven’t used in a long time, anything I’m keeping out of “sentimentality” but serves no purpose. “Stuff” is weight, baggage, guilt, and blockades to Freedom.

This Year, Know Your Food

A Stonyfield Farms advertisement caught my eye recently: "This Year, Know Your Food." Hmm, I thought. I want to know my food. I went to their site iwillknowmyfood.com to check out the "food adventure" sweepstakes. The winner would receive a fridge makeover and a visit to Stonyfield Farms. I decided not to enter the contest because, coincidentally, I am planning a year of getting to know my food.

As most people have, in New Years past, I have made resolutions. Some I’ve stuck with, others have faded with the passing of the months and finally been forgotten. Late in 2011, I happened upon a book which suggested a different idea: Establishing a “theme” for a desired transition in life doesn’t have to be set at the New Year, but for me it was perfect timing. My theme for 2012 and beyond is “Getting My Hands Dirty”. Having finished college, completed my dietetic internship, and passed the arduous Registered Dietitian exam, I saw no clear next steps in front of me. Because my world was wide open, I began to unlock the possibilities and think critically and carefully about my next steps. I felt I needed some real world experience before reentering the realm of academia. It felt wrong to begin a master's of sustainable food systems without ever having worked on a farm.


This year I plan to participate in WWOOF (World Wide Organization of Organic Farmers) in a jump to get my hands dirty, literally, and to actually experience the philosophies I am so passionate about. I am mostly looking to wwoof at homesteads, more so than larger farms. Most of the wwoof hosts I've contacted are small homesteads that primarily live off the land and sell some produce at nearby markets. Some are off the grid, described as "insanely committed camping". All those I've contacted so far have been rural, but it would be great to experience an urban homestead as well. After all, it seems to me that since most folks live in cities, urban homesteading is a huge part of creating sustainability in our world. One of the farms I might wwoof at is in Bath, NY. If I do make it there, I might just have to get an experience in urban homesteading in NYC. That would be the ultimate urban farming experience!


I'm trying to leave my plan open-ended enough to allow for spontaneous opportunities to come at me (like NYC); however, I do want to have enough contacts when I set out that I won't be wasting time on the trip trying to find farms that aren't full. Two notes I've written to myself in my wwoofing planning folder are: Don't squeeze too much in! and Don't be afraid to waver from the plan! Yes, since I am usually an over-planner, I need to write these things in as reminders.

What do you think the importance of hands-on experience is? Have you ever been a farming intern? Is it important to you to know your food?