Still Growing with Ken and Jessica

Jessica shares with us the reality of living the cornerstones of the Farm after moving back to St. Louis...

With the inspiration of a good book, I have tonight come to an important realization. I can still grow – in my faith, in sustainability, in all of the cornerstones – away from the Farm. It’s a very basic idea, but it’s tougher than it might seem. The Farm really provides ideal conditions in which to carry out a certain lifestyle, and it’s hard to duplicate much of that in a city environment. Take compost, for example. I have to do more research, but so far we have found no one that will accept compost composed of food scraps. We could get a worm bin, but I’m not sure I’m ready to have that in our apartment…

Back on the topic at hand, I’ve been spending a lot of time lately analyzing our lifestyle and trying to decide if we’re living up to the ideals we set while living in West Virginia. Our situation has changed significantly, so the way we live out some of the cornerstones – community, for example – has changed drastically. So I keep trying to think of ways that I can improve in such a way that we more closely echo the Farm’s model.

This can be a great tool, but tonight’s revelation provides a certain freedom with a side of encouragement. Our growth is not limited to becoming more and more like the Farm. We can accomplish great things! And being in a city environment gives us the opportunity to grow in new ways. We can still place that growth within the framework of the cornerstones, if that is helpful. But we can expand our horizons and spread our excitement into new realms.

Some of the topics I have been exploring since leaving the Farm include economic inequality, race relations, and urban gardening. The list will continue to grow in proportion to my stack of library books, which is already towering. And as I read, I incorporate new attitudes and ideas into my lifestyle. I begin to take action, to live out the cornerstones in a new way. That’s one way we’re bringing home the Farm.