In the First Berkshire Anthology is a poem that ends with the phrase…people who do everything beautiful twice. That captured my imagination long ago and if giving a possible form to my resistance to everything cruel, bigoted and hateful. Doing something twice or more begins to create a habit and doing it even more starts a movement or at least a way of life.
Last week I wrote about the fierce love I have for my local community and the more populous valley below. A supermajority of the residents share my values and most of those who hold different truths are respectful of the rights of others.
I want this region to thrive, and that means directing as much resources as I can into local sources. With that aim, I just joined my second food co-op. I’ve been a member-owner of The Old Creamery Co-op for a couple of years longer than I lived in the area. I joined when I was just passing through the area. They are in a tiny building and can only stock so much. I find it challenging to pop in and buy all the ingredients for making a spicy vegetarian dinner. I’m not a facile cook. I read the recipe, make a list of ingredients and if I can’t get all of them, I sigh, put everything back on the shelves and have a bowl of porridge for dinner instead.
I just joined the other co-op, nearly twenty miles away, but this one is much larger and I usually can get what I need there. In fact, I can start locally and get a few things at the farm-market-with-delusions-of-grandeur, get a few more things at the Creamery, and finish my list at River Valley.
This is doing everything beautiful thrice! I am keeping more money in the local economy, eating better food than they sell at the supermarket, and when the FDA abandons their mission and lets the agribusiness corporations decide how toxic the food supply can be, I’ll trust these regional organic farmers who supply the co-ops to keep on carrying on.
Tales from the jolly bungalow 