That Menacing Conjunction: but...

It has been a year, to the day, since my last post. I can't help but think there is something funny going on. There is. It's called "but..." This blog has been floating around in my head, waiting to be written for nearly two years now. Honestly. Perhaps I shouldn't admit that, some of the allure of writing or any sort of creation is that you see the finished product without seeing all the messy hard-work and self-doubt that comes before it. But a blog is a perpetual work in progress, and if I'm going to do this thing, I'm going to be myself.

We're all familiar with the sway that little 3-letter word has over our daily lives. From big things to small things, from things we don't want to do, to things we do actually want to do. Just add that little conjunction in and you've got yourself a sure-fire excuse. And that's all it is, an excuse. And we all know how much weight an excuse carries in the face of real reason. If you were your own boss, or your own teacher, would YOU accept your excuse? In most cases, the answer is no.

Let me give you a few of my own:


I want to write the blog but I'm just so busy!
I want to go for a run but I haven't eaten properly today.
I want to write this novel but... well I just have nothing to say.


Popular wisdom tells us that if we make excuses, we just don't want it bad enough. If that's the case, though, then why do you need an excuse if you're only making it to yourself? Why not just say "I don't want to do it." and be done with it? Why do we sabotage the very things we claim we WANT to do?

There are lots of reasons ranging from self-doubt, to fear of failure, to issues with authority (even if that authority is you telling yourself what to do), but that's not my job to analyze all that. Looking back won't help. It's time to look forward.

Ask yourself two very simple questions:

1. Do I really, honestly, in my heart of hearts want to do _______?  [If not, this is where you close the page and roll your eyes.]

2. How can I make it happen?


For my part, I will update this blog at least every Wednesday. How about you?

To Farm: use (land) for growing crops and rearing animals, esp. commercially

Let me start by introducing you to WWOOF. If you aren't already aware, WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. The basic purpose of the organization is to provide a win win trade for travelers and farmers. The basic trade is that the traveler gets free room and board, and the farmer gets free labor. Done properly however, Wwoofing is an experience that far exceeds those base requirements. It can provide shared experiences, information, understanding, cultural exchange, friendship and so much more. Each farm, and each traveler are different so the possibilities are endless.

In this blog, I will feature Casa Rosa Farms.

Casa Rosa Farms is a small family farm run by Anthony and Rachel. It is located in Madeira, Ca, about a three hours drive south east of San Francisco, or thirty minutes north of Fresno, Ca. They grow olives for high quality oil, Marcona almonds, and raise grass fed lamb and beef to be sold direct to buyers. They also grow a varied assortment of organic and heirloom vegetables that wwoofers are free to partake in. While I was there, I helped with an impressive spread of food for a dinner party, primarily made of things direct from the farm. Delicious!


The farm was recently features on ABC 30 news. This video sums up the experience at this farm very well, though I stayed in a different room.



Did you hear me mentioned? "And 12 others..."


I was at Casa Rosa from October 7th-17th, 2010. My work on the farm consisted mainly of pruning and tying the young olive trees to stakes so they will be nice and shapely for the harvesting machines. The work was enjoyable, especially with the good company, and even alone, almost meditative. The enjoyment is not to say it was easy! It is hard work and the entire time the mantra in my head was "I'll never complain about the cost of olive oil again. It IS worth the money for each bottle. I'll never complain again. I'll never complain again." That is the biggest lesson I took away from the experience, appreciation of the work that goes into a good product. Realizing you aren't paying for just the bottle and the olives, you are paying for the land, the water, the manual labor, the livelihood of the farmers. Support your local farmers! It's worth every penny!

Outside of the fields I had a considerable amount of down time to read, play music, watch movies and chat with my companions, and wander the fields. Their wonderful dog Rosie kept us entertained and even challenged me to a few races. She beat me every time. I was on my bike.

Rosie! Read the full story after the jump below. 

To Welcome: greet in a glad, polite, or friendly way

Hello and welcome to Change the Verb!

You may want to ask, what does that mean? Well, the inspiration for this title came from the wonderful Eve Ensler's TED talk on embracing the inner girl in all of us. Our compassion, our vulnerability, our emotional sides, any part of us that has been suppressed, in women and in men.

Eve Ensler: Embrace your inner girl | Video on TED.com

From the transcript:
"I've been talking to girls for five years, and one of the things that I've seen is true everywhere is that the verb that's been enforced on girl is the verb "to please."Girls are trained to please. I want to change the verb. I want us all to change the verb. I want the verb to be "educate" or "activate" or "engage" or "confront" or "defy" or "create." If we teach girls to change the verb we will actually enforce the girl inside us and the girl inside them."

Well I'd like to expand on this further. One of the main verbs that underlies western culture today is "to consume." I want to change the verb to "produce" or "grow" or "conserve".

The seedling of this blog idea started off with the intent to blog about my adventures and lessons on organic farms. I worked on a couple and did some interviews but life has a way of changing plans and that door was closed sooner than I would have liked (for the time being at least). I realized I needed to broaden my scope, to cover something more accessible to myself and others. I hope to convey in these pages the possibilities of changing the verb, little by little, with things that most can do in their own lives. Perhaps not everything here will be accessible to all but even so, I hope you enjoy the read!

Day by day, little steps, small changes, and before you know it, you are where you set out to be, and realize the only thing to do, is keep going!

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle