Denise Rushing

I'm looking forward to the release of what looks to be a powerful movie (National Geographic + Leonardo DiCaprio). The trailer itself is well worth watching as we just passed 400ppm on Planet Earth (goal is to stay below 350ppm). Good news: the future is in our hands and it is do-able. 

Soil & Solar, baby. Focus.

Before the Flood - Trailer | National Geographic:



Time to Get Solar

As we look to the future and our relationship with the next generation, we face a stark choice: a path
of fear, cynicism, denial and despair, or one of hope, renewal, restoration and of co-creating abundance for the future.  Our young people are already keenly aware of the dire state of the world, with messages from mass media that lead to desolation.  It is our task to offer a positive path forward even as we help them, and ourselves, through the grief and despair over what we have inherited.

This is a story about the power of connection.

When I first bought what is now Dancing TreePeople Farm, I imagined that I was going to create a fully sustainable life... all by myself.

I would grow my own food, make my own energy, put in place a permaculture oasis and would create everything I need on the farm.

Along the way, I learned that this is utter folly.
I learned that it is impossible to create a sustainable life by myself.  Yes, I could spend all my time and treasure to create a Shangrila --and end up broke and exhausted.  In fact, I came close, all the way to putting a "for sale" sign out in front of the farm.

Fortunately, friends convinced me that there was something we could do together... we could create a community and help each other.

Here is my aha:

The most joy, the most abundance, and the most sustainable life increases with the number of beneficial connections.  Relationships.  People. Community.

Today, we receive amazing organic vegetables from nearby farms by ou…

Growth and new life, as well as innovation, comes from the edges where different systems meet.  "Edge Effect" celebrates one of the thirteen permaculture principles.

From Tending the Soul's Garden:

"Edge Effect refers to that which occurs in a system along its edges.  The principle recognizes the use of natural patterns as the basis of design. In nature, the creation of greater edge provides us with a greater surface area, therefore giving us greater production, increased positive relationship opportunities, more places for nature to create and work and evolve, and a greater edge between microclimates.
In invisible structures, such as a societal culture, the edges or margins tend to foster a greater creativity.  In our personal inner world, the edges are the places of greatest discomfort and often can be that “creative edge” where we experience the most personal growth.  
It helps to observe and notice the “edges” both in our community and in our lives and cultivate…

I am in an older house--it's the house I lived in when I was 19 years old. There is a gap between the kitchen cabinet and the floor. Through the gap I can see into the underside of the house
I see what looks like a very large rat and it is trying to get into the house.  So I venture into the crawl space to shoo it away. 

When I get closer, I see that it is not a rat at all, but a possum.  Each time I try to herd it out from the crawl space, it tries to skirt around me to get into the house through the cabinet gap.
At this point, the possum can no longer get around me, so it comes right up to me and chomps the fleshy part of my hand leaving a huge bite mark.

"Why did you do that?" I ask, incredulous that it would be so bold.

It spoke to me in my own voice: "Because you are in my way!"

SELF-LIMITING BELIEFS

What’s in the way?  Odds are it is an unconscious belief. And while we may not be conscious of these beliefs that get in the way, we can train ourselves to look f…