Sustainable Tarpon Springs - Growing Gratitude

I have a personal Facebook page (which isn’t unusual for people of all ages anymore, although it initially appealed to Generation X who had been well-versed in ‘social networking through LiveJournal, myspace, and other avenues of artificial connection before the rest of us opted in.)  Facebook is definitely a convenient way to instantly reach out to a majority of one’s friends - sharing news, views, pictures, and even ‘tweetable moments’ throughout the day.  I seem to have more opinions than ‘friends’ (which probably follows a logical inverse connection), but even if I indulge the luxury of my own ‘consciousness soapbox’ - I try to share items I consider most edifying to ALL of my contacts with the hope of inspiring collective change.

This month several people, including my daughter, have taken on the challenge of ’30 Days of Thanks’ and have daily been posting thoughts on Facebook about everything from simple pleasures to major sources of gratitude.  Good energy is such a contagious experience that, even though I’m not formally participating, I get a vicarious ‘shot in the arm’ when I read what makes someone else feel grateful.  I’m grateful we have one another on this teeter-totter of life because when I’m ‘down’, I hear from people who are ‘up’ - and we all balance one another out in the end.  Hopefully, as we live and learn in the ‘human drama’, the lows become more manageable, and the highs, more sustainable!

In that spirit, I am infinitely grateful for people I meet in the ‘local growers circles’ of North Pinellas and South Pasco counties, people who are deeply inspired, maybe even ‘guided’ into a new realm of the nature experience - turning lawns into FOOD.  Who could ask for a more practical endeavor in these times where we constantly are hammered by the media with talk about shortages and ‘gloom and doom’ thereafter?  

Growing food, no matter where you live, is a sign of hope for the future.  Even if stories of Johnny Appleseed have expanded into ‘tall tales’ over time, perhaps we know this is heroic behavior we should all aspire to.  Growing food wherever there is space and sunshine is the beginning of Paradise!  Imagine a community where fruit trees are planted in all public easement strips for anyone to pick from and eat!  This is a happy, healthy, holistic community ideal for all of us to embrace.

Tarpon Springs is a community that loves and values trees enough to protect them from being randomly chopped down - even on private property.  So, perhaps in the spirit of Johnny Appleseed, we should think of the possibilities within our community, find an empty space to nurture and plant a fruit or moringa tree!  The concept of ‘guerrilla gardening’ has really taken root in cities all over the world, with the intention to grow as much food as close to humans as possible.  All landscape should be edible landscape!  The concept of lawns and ornamental gardens has expired!

Before we cultivate guerrilla gardens, or work in our personal gardens, the best recipe for success is to ‘grow gratitude’ within ourselves!  The energy with which we DO our work on this Earth determines everything!  In that spirit, I’m grateful for YOU, whoever you are, reading this heartfelt blog - and I hope that in ‘growing gratitude’ individually our paths will eventually merge!