It is interesting how we are swept off of our feet with new ideas. We change perspective, get inspired and attempt to live our lives more in alignment with our belief. Keeping these ideas alive and fresh is when the challenge really begins. Take FOOD SECURITY and SUSTAINABILITY: These are concepts we have batted around for a few years now, yet when the store shelves are full, plus we are pressed for time with jobs, it is hard to sustain interest in these objectives.

Last month during an evaluation of Food Program projects, we explored these very topics anew. I was very inspired with the evolution and unfolding of these concepts and am hoping to re-inspire our commitments to our bodies and the Earth through more attention to our food.

The obvious directions of GROWING MORE FOOD on island as well as BUYING MORE FOOD FROM OUR REGION’S GROWERS continue to be paths we want to follow. HUNTING AND FORAGING have truly caught the interest of many lately. PRESERVING AND STORAGE of a good harvest is as important as growing it. Other ideas about food security expanded into NUTRITION (is what we are eating actually feeding us?), SHOPPING SKILLS (do we buy wisely—e.g. dry beans and lentils are relatively cheap considering how much goodness is in them; buying seasonal foods in bulk?), WASTE (do we inadvertently throw food out because of lack of planning and skills?), AWARENESS (do we actually notice what we are eating and why we eat what we do?), SUSTAINABILITY (was the food we are eating grown in a way that takes into account the surrounding environment and all its creatures, the people who work the fields, the quality of life of livestock; are we planting perennials as well as annuals?), ACCESS (does everyone in our family, on the island and on the Earth have access to healthy and wholesome food?), HABITS (do we sit down and celebrate each meal?), ATTITUDES (do we appreciate the effort that made to make this food, do we take it into our bodies with grati-tude?), THE GLOBAL PICTURE (what impact do our agricultural practices have on the Earth as a whole as well as on other populations?).

This idea of Food Security has really opened up a can of worms!!! It would seem that we have gotten off track in the last few decades, what with huge-scale production of poor quality food. In the past few years many of us have begun to reclaim some territory! Myself, I need to develop some skill around preserving and sharing what I grow, as well as bring more awareness to my eating habits. No pride, no shame! Just feeling good in body and mind and simply doing the best we can in our homes and community…one day at a time, one season at a time.