The End of the Summer

Jones Creek Farms was quite the internship experience.  It’s not exactly in keeping with my major of communications.  It’s the only place that offered me a position.  It was something I was interested in learning more about.  It was hard work, but definitely a learning experience.

The first thing I learned is that it is very unlikely that I will own a farm when I grow up.  I’ll probably have a garden.  I’ll probably have tomatoes in it … but not as many.

This is due to the simple fact that I’m not passionate about farming the way the Price’s were.  When there is one more task piled atop one more difficult atop one more late night, it can really task one’s motivational reserves.  I was only there for four months.  I can’t imagine doing it for twenty years.  Clearly, the drive for such a farm does not extend from profit or from gratitude … farmers often receive little of either.  Rather, the motivation to farm … sometimes literally at the edge of subsistence yourself, comes from a deep-seated faith in the earth, the necessity of what one does, and the passion to grow something good.

I learned about food and farms.  Small business farms often receive the short end of a lot of sticks.  I learned the difference between tomato varieties.  Heck, I learned that there were tomato varieties.  I learned about gardening, veggies, fruits, chickens, and cows.  Food is hard. But you can definitely taste the difference.  It’s better for you too.  Surprise surprise.

Community has always played a part in how I process experiences.  The community at Jones Creek Farms was much smaller to which I was accustomed, but it was close and tight-knit.  So as different it may have been in terms of breadth, I really appreciated the depth.  Thursday was domino night, when one of our neighbors always came by for dinner and the titular game.  People would show up just to help out.  People came to volunteer for a wedding held on the grounds, plant tomatoes, build signs, and harvest garlic.  We went over to some neighbors to help “harvest” chickens.

It was an active sort of community that extended beyond simply knowing people into the realm of participating with people.  There is something meaningful in working with someone, eating with them, playing dominoes, and then being able to see them again in a week or two.

Of all the things I learned, the one that excited me most was seeing real community and being able to participate in it.

I want to participate in whatever community I may find myself for my entire life.