Back where it all began for me

Writing from Punta Mona, our off-the-grid permaculture farm, community and sustainability education center deep in the costa rican rain forest. A couple of days here, where Kopali was born for me, is all it took to regenerate. I guess I am ready to go back into civilization to spread the good word. But before I do, I want to take a snapshot of this moment, this feeling and share it as best as words can capture. I hope to convey the healing that comes from being where so much good food is exploding from the trees and it is possible to live off of what grows right around me, where there is so much life and it is so bright and so loud that every sense is flooded with it. This way of life is worth preserving. Even while so many of us live in cities, it is so very important for us to support those who live on the land, who care for the land as if it were an extension of their own bodies, who partner with the forces of nature and plant food, and grow food, and harvest food in harmony with the ecosystems that support all life. I was born in the city, I grew up in the city, I still spend most of my time in cities, and I am now minutes away from going back into civilization. I love that world too, but I take with me this feeling and I take this opportunity to declare my devotion to the world of plants and animals and insects and fungi and microorganisms and living soil and rain and sunshine, and mostly to those who partner with this world and grow life for the rest of us, that we may be nourished, that we may live, that harmonious life on this planet may endure. -- Zak, July 18, 2008.