I had the opportunity to visit an organization yesterday. They house kids that are orphans or at high risk of trafficking in a home environment rather than as an "orphanage". It really is beautiful seeing how they find children in the most desperate of situations and give them a home on a beautiful plot of land.
The truly unique part though is how they managed the land on this property. We saw and worked with their multiple sustainability projects. They have cows and chickens and goats and fish. The manure from all these animals goes to compost and a biogas system. The biogas system uses waste to create cooking gas and the manure is composted to fertilize a rich garden and several trees. They also have fish that they raise, whose used water goes to further enriching the soil throughout the property, as well as creating duckweed which is dried to feed the chickens. The vegetation throughout the property feeds the children, house parents, animals, and the excess is sold at a local market. The entire place is interconnected in several ways, creating a beautiful landscape where each area is enriched by another. Each and every corner of the property creates or absorbs or processes something that brings life to the next area.
The compost area is especially incredible. By combining rotten food, dead leaves, and feces- you can in time and with faithful care create a nutrient rich fertilizer. It's by going through this messy, meticulous process that they can have a tenfold increase in crop production.
It was vast and beautiful and diverse and unified. Nothing was wasted, even the literal waste.
This entire concept is fascinating on its own. This is how the world was made to work, in cycles and ecosystems. But I couldn't stop thinking of the metaphor in it all.
In the landscape of my life I frequently tend to the gardens of service and growth. I water faithfully and see beautiful fruits come of it.
Then I let the shit build up in the corner and try to ignore the smell.
I fail to realize that waste it not meant to be wasted, it is meant to be processed and used for further growth.
I have a tendency to look at certain seasons of life as a waste. I regret the tears I spent over a childhood heartache or the energy I poured into a failed project. Yet the reality is, these "wastes" could bring life to everything else.
If I could process these parts of me that I don't want to look at, I could create twice the fruit with less labor and more enjoyment. If I could let this broken heart heal, I wouldn't spend so much time patching it up. If I could learn to heal and learn to be loved, I could love and heal others without harming myself. If I take the time to wade through this shit, I can build something beautiful.
The truly unique part though is how they managed the land on this property. We saw and worked with their multiple sustainability projects. They have cows and chickens and goats and fish. The manure from all these animals goes to compost and a biogas system. The biogas system uses waste to create cooking gas and the manure is composted to fertilize a rich garden and several trees. They also have fish that they raise, whose used water goes to further enriching the soil throughout the property, as well as creating duckweed which is dried to feed the chickens. The vegetation throughout the property feeds the children, house parents, animals, and the excess is sold at a local market. The entire place is interconnected in several ways, creating a beautiful landscape where each area is enriched by another. Each and every corner of the property creates or absorbs or processes something that brings life to the next area.
The compost area is especially incredible. By combining rotten food, dead leaves, and feces- you can in time and with faithful care create a nutrient rich fertilizer. It's by going through this messy, meticulous process that they can have a tenfold increase in crop production.
It was vast and beautiful and diverse and unified. Nothing was wasted, even the literal waste.
This entire concept is fascinating on its own. This is how the world was made to work, in cycles and ecosystems. But I couldn't stop thinking of the metaphor in it all.
In the landscape of my life I frequently tend to the gardens of service and growth. I water faithfully and see beautiful fruits come of it.
Then I let the shit build up in the corner and try to ignore the smell.
I fail to realize that waste it not meant to be wasted, it is meant to be processed and used for further growth.
I have a tendency to look at certain seasons of life as a waste. I regret the tears I spent over a childhood heartache or the energy I poured into a failed project. Yet the reality is, these "wastes" could bring life to everything else.
If I could process these parts of me that I don't want to look at, I could create twice the fruit with less labor and more enjoyment. If I could let this broken heart heal, I wouldn't spend so much time patching it up. If I could learn to heal and learn to be loved, I could love and heal others without harming myself. If I take the time to wade through this shit, I can build something beautiful.
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