Planting Hope

I’ve been spending my time in the Alaska sunshine.  The winter here was long and snowy.  I won’t lie, when the first snow falls in mid-September and it keeps snowing all winter long it gets pretty damn depressing.  Break up began in late March, but as I write this post there are still a few traces of the large pile of snow we pushed up with a loader over the course of the winter.  

Our plans of camping and enjoying the great outdoors this summer have been slashed by the great gas price hike that is happening across the nation.  We’re currently paying $5.21 per gallon as I write this.  Not exactly conducive to towing a camper around the state.  So in lieu of grand camping adventures, we planted a large garden.

I know there is a lot of fear-mongering, stereotyping, and normalcy bias right now.  In a time of predicted food shortages, soaring gas prices, and inflated cost of living what better way to spend the summer than tending to a beautiful garden planted in hope rather than fear.  We have a choice, we can focus on the negative narrative, or we can find our tribe and grow with them.

During the great lockdown of 2020, I stumbled upon Roots & Refuge on YouTube.  I've been watching Jess and Jeremiah grow their homestead ever since.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve listened to Jess say - “turn your waiting room into a classroom.”  Not all of us are in the same waiting room.  Not all of us are waiting to build a homestead, but does that matter?  No, it does not.  Are you just sitting in your waiting room, trying to wish time away?  Or have you started learning what you can, where you are?

In the past few months, I’ve started to give serious thought to just that.  Am I using my waiting room wisely?  I've begun shifting my focus and taking Jess' advice to start taking steps to turn my waiting room into a classroom.  Planting hope is part of that focus, also words of wisdom from Jess.  Planting out of fear only feeds that fear.  When we planted our garden this year I put a lot of prayer and hope into the seeds and seedlings.  I'm focused on listening, learning to be patient, and letting God guide me through my own fears and restlessness.  

As part of that classroom, my goals are to begin writing more,  and learning to distribute my energy with better time management across the many things.  I'm focused on planting hope in my own space and not getting wrapped up in the negative vibes running amuck right now.  Will you join me on the journey?