Announcing 3 New Educational Programs
The Journey Begins
December 30, 2017
Thriving In Winter
January 20, 2018
I’ve often felt as though I was born in the wrong century (although I’ve come to appreciate that there are no accidents in this regard). Obsessed with “period piece” dramas, historical fiction, and things of yore, I’ve often felt like a Celtic maven incarnated too late, or a frustrated pioneer housewife born after my time.
When New Jersey was hit with Hurricane Sandy a few years ago, I actually enjoyed the 10 days of electricity-free living. Huddled by the woodstove, hauling water in buckets from a neighbor’s house, playing games with my family by candlelight, and cooking in creative ways, I was perfectly content- even relishing in our temporarily-retro existence. While others complained, lamented, and schemed how to charge their devices for more screen time, I secretly wished for more days power-free. I didn’t have the heart to tell my friends and neighbors that I was enjoying it. I complained along with everyone else. For most people “retro” living is decidedly uncool, even viewed as a barbaric sentence doled out by a heartless and cruel Mother Nature.
I do realize that my viewpoint makes me an anomaly, but I realized years ago that I am happier when life is a little harder- not emotionally, or psychologically, or financially, but physically- as in when I am expending more effort to ensure my own family’s survival. (That said, I am grateful for many of the attributes of modernity, most especially my rights and freedoms as a sovereign being, clean water, and emergency medical care).
About 15 years ago, I became fairly obsessed with the concept of “re-skilling”- learning domestic skills that were our ancestors’ birthright, but that we have long abandoned in the name of convenience. I dove head first into fermentation, home dairying (without the farm animals), herbal medicine making, more complicated cooking and baking techniques, and fiber crafts. And I was HAPPY. It felt so good to look around and see the fruits of my own labor.
I recently stumbled upon research that confirmed my long-held suspicions, that we humans are more content when we are “doing” with our own two hands. Sadly, Americans are among the most unhappy of the industrialized nations, We always come in low on world happiness rankings. There are a myriad of reasons for this, but I would argue that one obvious cause is our lack of personal connection to the tangible work of our own hands. It just feels good to make things. We are a society of passive consumers, and we’re suffering for it. We pay others to produce and do for us. I was having a conversation recently with a friend who said that most people don’t like to make salads. It’s too much WORK- even with the pre-washed lettuce. I left that conversation pretty stunned and also convinced that a doctoral thesis in sociology could be crafted from that statement.(I’m chuckling as I write this, but it is a telling commentary of our times).
What if we came to look at the efforts of our own hands, not as drudgery, but as the fulfillment of the basic human need for connection to what’s “real”, and a source of grounded-ness and soul peace in a crazy world? People who engage in activities like chopping wood, gardening, and domestic and creative arts report higher levels of personal satisfaction. Plus, you can rely on yourself more if the power goes out, giving a greater sense of overall security.
I’m a flag-waiver for “re-skilling,” no matter how basic, or how simple. I will be offering 3 upcoming classes that all have a heavy focus on re-skilling, which also includes taking back some of your personal power by knowing you can care for yourself a bit.
Check out the offerings below:
