Everybody Into The Pool!
My brother and sister-in-law and I have a useful set-up I thought I’d share. It saves us money and space and, I think, makes a lot of sense. We pool many of our resources. When he needs a post hole digger or a pole tree trimmer, he borrows mine. When I need a leaf blower, I reach out to him. He was going to buy a chop saw recently and I said, “I have one. Come get it.”
Our gardens as well become a bounty for us all. I start most everything we’ll grow and they share a bounty of peppers like no one’s ever seen with me. My neighbor likewise shares a gift of supplies she comes by as she’s always looking for a deal or a give-away. She leaves it by my door or on a tree stump we both have access to between our yards. I am sure to give her strawberries and rhubarb or a little bouquet of flowers when everything is coming on. We also exchange cuttings and increase our gardens by giving to each other.
More and more, we people have been so isolated! The pandemic really pushed us into our caves, and social media seems to cement us in more and more. But sharing was a way of life for humans for millennia and is one of the secrets of our survival. We are social beings and need connection and, very often, help. If I don’t have to buy and own everything that might be useful to me a day or two out of a year, I have money and space to put my resources elsewhere. If I know that Kathy will have a glut of zucchini by July, I don’t plant zucchini and use the garden space for other things. When my brother is painting his porch, I go spend a few hours helping him and enjoy it immensely as we laugh and plan together. This week, he’s going to return that favor and help me paint my living room. We preserve and can things together as more hands and well-loved company make the tasks much more fun. And then, the bounty is shared.
My sister-in-law recently announced that her son and his wife are moving back to the area. She said that her daughter-in-law, my niece, wants to join our little “co-op” and learn to grow some of their food. I am so excited for this. She will bring her own skills to share with us, and we will all benefit from it.
So how does anyone start this sort of cooperative exchange? I think it starts with being thoughtful and offering a dozen eggs or whatever you have a bounty of to someone you know will appreciate it. It’s taking a few minutes to talk over the fence and share that you are looking into buying say a weed whacker. Your neighbor may offer his. Likewise, you can offer your help or your items when you see a need. We can build community and have more resources at our fingertips. And I for one like finding a bag of food pantry onions and a pineapple on the tree stump. I love my time canning with my sibs. I purposely work at my community and aim to share my favorite Tuscan soup or the bounty of blackberries with the people around me. I find now that I am living in a place where zucchini and flowers are being passed over the fence. Where the dog walkers and biking folks around me stop and ask about the chickens and we share a few moments together. This is truly abundance and diversity.
- By Jenny Folk
