Happy cows graze outside of Jackson, CA in Amador County.
Sometimes you need to shake your snow globe to really be able to see what you are doing. Today, I had that chance...
I've had my head down pretty seriously for the past four months; focused on what it will take to create a regional and secure food system in Tahoe. So much so that I haven't roamed very far from my home in that time. It's allowed me, however, the creative freedom to take the best of what I've learned and sketch what I want in a sustainable food future. Inside this bubble, it's easy to create my own blue sky. But to be sustainable you need perspective and stepping outside our peripheral gives us that vision. .
I left the house this morning on auto pilot treating it just like any other day where I had a list of things to do and meetings to attend. The only thing is, they weren't in Tahoe. Just as my second cup of coffee was kicking in, the bright, spring-green hills of California's Central Valley came into focus. I was driving to Amador County. The view was in stark contrast to the 6ft of snow that recently fell in the Sierra Nevada over the weekend. I was just two hours from home. It was surreal. As the grassy pastures rolled to the horizon, I suddenly felt very small. And my goals for an equitable, food economy felt just as far away as that horizon line. I knew I had joined a big movement but seeing that expanse was a strong dose of overwhelming. "Just look at all that farmland Susie! You can't wave your wand to sustainability."
I took a deep breath and stared down my goals. Out there are a lot of farms that feel the same way I do and many who don't. I will find the ones who want to work with me now and believe the new food system we create will attract others to join down the road. Prioritize and start checking things off one at a time. That's all I can do.
In seeking my truth, I find clarity.
I've had my head down pretty seriously for the past four months; focused on what it will take to create a regional and secure food system in Tahoe. So much so that I haven't roamed very far from my home in that time. It's allowed me, however, the creative freedom to take the best of what I've learned and sketch what I want in a sustainable food future. Inside this bubble, it's easy to create my own blue sky. But to be sustainable you need perspective and stepping outside our peripheral gives us that vision. .
I left the house this morning on auto pilot treating it just like any other day where I had a list of things to do and meetings to attend. The only thing is, they weren't in Tahoe. Just as my second cup of coffee was kicking in, the bright, spring-green hills of California's Central Valley came into focus. I was driving to Amador County. The view was in stark contrast to the 6ft of snow that recently fell in the Sierra Nevada over the weekend. I was just two hours from home. It was surreal. As the grassy pastures rolled to the horizon, I suddenly felt very small. And my goals for an equitable, food economy felt just as far away as that horizon line. I knew I had joined a big movement but seeing that expanse was a strong dose of overwhelming. "Just look at all that farmland Susie! You can't wave your wand to sustainability."
I took a deep breath and stared down my goals. Out there are a lot of farms that feel the same way I do and many who don't. I will find the ones who want to work with me now and believe the new food system we create will attract others to join down the road. Prioritize and start checking things off one at a time. That's all I can do.
In seeking my truth, I find clarity.
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