The world seems like a mess right now, with some amazing bright spots of goodness and clarity and commitment, by many. Polarities are at an all time high (in my 68 years, in any case) whether in the US, the world, or in Amherst, where even the form of government we have just chosen has left nearly 50% of the folks unhappy with the choice. So, yuck!
But what binds us, beyond our differences of opinion? Luckily there are many things, and at the very core of what binds us is life itself. And at the very core of life is the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. So, first let’s raise a glass of water to our farmers who have forever kept us fed. And then let’s notice that we could lose them, especially our local farmers (and local farmers everywhere). The “bigger is better” mentality can swoop in and take everything into its fold. But I don’t want that.
I love the cornfields, the pumpkin patches, the dairy farms and the farm stands and the signs in our big supermarkets that say “Local Produce” (usually covering a very small fraction of the veggie section!). I’m all for local food, mom and pop stores (or mom and mom, or pop and pop or they and they), and I want more gathering places within our town (within every town) and the possibility that each community can and will create a small model for right living.
I’m a member of the co-op and I want to be at the Amherst Food Co-op on its opening day—and many days afterwards.
Another glass to be raised (we do need to drink lots of water) to the Co-op and those who have worked so hard to make a dream come true, and to the town and our people, for all our diversity, and to our future, to Amherst one hundred years from now, a town we would all be proud of.
