14 April 2025

I spent most of my Sunday at the DIG Farm Open House, connecting with my fellow farm fans and meeting more than a few cool people. It got me thinking about how interconnected we all are (in case you haven't yet seen The Biggest Little Farm yet - or want to see it again, I am pushing for an outdoor viewing party at DIG this summer!).

In our fast-paced, individualistic world, it’s easy to forget just how connected we truly are (I'm not counting the internet). But if there’s one thing that reminds us of our place in a shared web of life, it’s food. On the most basic level, most of us don't grow all our own food. When I think about all the people I rely on to get food for sustenance, it seems a bit like a Tony acceptance speech:

Thank you so much, [insert food], for nourishing my body! I would be remiss if I didn't mention all the helpers that went into this great achievement. Thank you to the farmer, who took on all the financial risk and daily stress to bring me this delicious food.  And to the farm workers who engage in back-breaking work from dawn to dusk to harvest the food, often for wages that can barely support their own grocery bill. Thank you to the person who packaged or canned my food, and got it ready for shipment. Thanks to all the states and countries that provided foods not grown nearby. Thanks to all the people who work in my supermarket - cleaning, sorting, monitoring quality and sell-by dates, and ringing up my purchases at checkout. So many hands went into this project - I apologize for anyone I may have left out…

Noone eats alone. Even when you dine at a table-for-one, foods represent a diverse array of people and resources that brought them into existence. Poet and Anglican cleric John Donne  wrote, “no man is an island.” Donne was born into great wealth, the son of an ironmonger, yet recognized the importance of community for humans to thrive.

Allison Turcan, Founder and Farmer at DIG (Dealing In Good!) Farm shares this value. She started that farm ten years ago with a dream of “reconnecting communities to the natural good of the farm”. But she did so much more than that, by reconnecting people to each other! Being at the DIG Farm yesterday, with all the amazing people involved, reminded me that it truly "takes a village" to achieve great things, and all those connections make life better for everyone.

In today's society, we're often told it's weak to ask for help - anyone who knows me will realize I'm resistant to this myself - but what if we look at it as an opportunity to connect? You don't need me to tell you we're more divided than ever. What if we look at connecting with others through a lens of curiosity, rather than opposition? I feel certain we would learn so much and be a whole lot happier.

Let's keep the conversation going. What do you think?