September first I quit driving truck and moved to the ranch, where I grew up, in South Dakota to care for my aging father.
After a month preparing for winter; gardening, restoring greenhouse glass, repairing the car, a bit of canning and freezing, and planting a bed of greens in the greenhouse, “sustainability” has a new feel. The big items of “getting tucked in for the winter” have been taken care of. And there is still a “to do” list for any Indian summer days that come along. I suspect my daily inspection of the tender little greens that I am trying to nurture for my winter nutrition has a lot to do with the shifting perception of “sustainability”. Over my years away from the farm, 34, and garden, 6, I have slowly forgotten the emotional impact of seeing my future salad being consumed by insects. Still, I made an outdoor hot bed on the south side of the greenhouse to give me a jump start in the spring. A farmer just keeps planting. Yes, it may be in vain, the bugs may win, but, if he doesn’t plant, there will definitely not be a crop. Obama is getting the Nobel Peace Prize for planting.
Another aspect of “sustainability” is shifting as well. As I listen to my father I notice my inherited tendencies and have the opportunity to reflect on my own attitudes and behaviors. How easy it is to blame others or the system for what is, rather than taking responsibility for what I may or may not be making of the circumstances in which I find myself. How easy it is to tear down rather than build up. Yes, we need to create an opening for the new. However, we create this opening by stopping, reflecting, contemplating, meditating, praying; rather than by tearing down. As I worked on the car I would get stymied, stumped, or couldn’t get something apart or together. About the time I was ready to try to force it, or take a sledge hammer to it, I would stop and do something else for a while, or just take a break, and when I came back to that task it would be easy. Of course, at times it took multiple tries.

So, as I tackle (nice cozy indoor tasks for cold nasty winter days) long neglected website maintenance, bookkeeping, and file clearing I am mindful that each task move me toward the construction of an experimental inert fill structure in a sustainable community. I need to be careful to not get the cart before the horse or to bite off more than I can chew. In other words, to set SMART goals: S- specific, M- measurable, A- achievable, R- realistic, T- timely. In the process regular blog entries will help keep me on track.