How to be a villager?

Social isolation has been named the hidden pandemic. Loneliness and social isolation have contributed to over 871,000 deaths annually between 2014 and 2019. Plus, they are risk factors for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, anxiety, dementia, etc. Not to be a big fat bummer. But just giving you context for the rest of this email.

Everyone I know right now is craving community.

In a world of constant disconnection, dressed up as connection through social media and endless digital noise, it feels like we’ve lost the plot, y’all. Community isn’t built through algorithms. It’s built through presence. Through showing up. Through knowing and being known.

Creating real community is an art form, and modern technology has made it easy to forget how to practice it.

If you want to build a village, you have to be a villager first.

Here are a couple of ideas on where to start:

Join a CSA – self-explanatory, and I know I’m biased towards this being the easiest, most direct way to build community. Come to the store, talk to the farmers, share recipes, connect. Food is one of the easiest things to connect over.

Host dinners – I went over to my sweet friend Rebecca’s house for a birthday dinner last month. I was greeted by people I never would’ve talked to otherwise. I left feeling seen, heard, inspired, like I learned something, and just overall like I laughed and ate great food.

Call your friends – Simply, text less. Just pick up the phone for a quick ring. Set up plans over the phone, ask about their day, anything. It’s so much more personal than texting.

Show up – Tired, stressed, late, smelly. I’ve been known to cancel on plans in the name of self-care. But it’s a defense mechanism to not be seen in the “perfect” way. Well, I want to show up more imperfectly.

Ask for something if you need it – Feeling stressed? Alone? Overwhelmed? Bored? Reach out and ask for help. Most of the time, people are super eager to help. Plus, when we can rely on other people, they can rely on us. Simply put, asking people for help makes them feel more loved.

I saw a quote somewhere that said the price for community is inconvenience. Convenience is the thing that’s killing us slowly, and rejecting some sense of convenience will lead us back to where we’re supposed to be. Eating good food and taking care of the planet with people.

What does this have to do with farming? Well, we’re people, and at the core of it all, we’re doing this for the community. I hope you can be one of our villagers!