City Bound

Melanie and I are headed to Kansas City this weekend to attend a workshop offered by Donna Eden. Donna is an author and practitioner of Energy Medicine. (http://www.innersource.net/) But that is not the subject of this Blog Entry.

I have to laugh. I think that Melanie and I have done a "180". For years, I loved the fast pace of Cities and the Adventures they might hold for me. I taught that to my Daughter. I loved going into the thick of things, experiencing that intensity, and then finding my way out. It did not matter if it was Minneapolis, New York City, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Rome, or Cairo. I would appear with map in hand and just dive in.

While it is true that Cities have picked up considerable Speed over the years, a more important Shift has been happening in us. We have largely disconnected with those out of control energies of the City which so often bring feelings of "buy more", "get bigger", "go faster", "trash the past", "leave your Neighbor behind you in the dust", "forget Nature", "focus on the Human", "pay somebody to do it for you", "build a Fortress to keep yourself safe".

Our move to the Farm has been founded in our intention to "live simply", "live in the present", "return to being a part of Nature and that Great Circle of Life", "return to doing things for ourselves", "go slow". I am happy to report that, while it has not always been easy, we have embraced considerable success in that quest. Peace and centeredness are returning. We most enjoy just being on the Farm. Just being.

But on occasion, we choose to go into the City. I find our process of re-entering the City almost amusing. We have to consciously think about what we are going to wear. Our Wardrobe Stashes have more Farm Clothes in them. After almost 3 years of living on the Farm, our Clothes are still functional but worn. I suppose Clothes for Chicken House Chores are not the stuff of being in the City, although I do understand that more Cities do allow Residents to have Chickens, Kansas City included. We have to research Maps and get ourselves prepared for entering the fast paced swim of that space. And then, of course, there is the matter of cash. Entering the City, one is immediately hooked into a network of tubes which extract cash as quickly as possible and at every turn.

I was talking with our Friend Matt earlier this afternoon. At his lead, we began to explore some questions that we could pose our Friends in the City, but of course we won't. "Why do you need to go so fast?" "What are you in a hurry to?" "When will you know that you have gotten there?" "Where are your Front Porches?" "Why do you need so much stuff?" "Why do you need to get past the person next to you?"

But, I have also heard many evidences that Folks in Cities are carving out their own Niches of Slowing Down and Simplicity. Blanket statements never work, this one included. I shall keep my antenna alert for all the teachings along the Path.