Avocados and Pepsi

You may be wondering how avocados and Pepsi link to communities and community development. First, my personal learning about the avocado and a Pepsi can. My garden activities have been greatly influenced by snow. So, I have created an inside garden next to my house plants. I purchased two avocados in October and I thought it would be a superb idea to further test my gardening skills by attempting to help those avocado pits grow. If you have ever examined one of the avocado pits they are brown, hard, a bit oval, and very difficult to put a dent into. However, with a lot of patience, nurturing, and continuous fresh water something has started to happen. After two months there is now a crack on top and without doubt I know there will soon be some growth.

The Pepsi can has a different story. Friends were coming over and I needed to have some refreshments ready. I was being impatient and trying to do too many things at once. Walking out of my pantry room with arms full of food items I heard a crash and something like a BIG pop. I looked and brown liquid had spread EVERYWHERE from the exploding Pepsi can (don’t try this at home). In the moment I remained quite calm and proceeded to clean up the mess. More importantly I was rewarded with my calm reaction to the situation. This may seem silly to some, but sometimes accepting those little things in the midst of a challenging day can be difficult!

My stories link to communities and community development in terms of how communities move forward. My own experiences with rural communities are that patience helps the journey to greater successes. Growing up the common term on the farm was “next year we’ll get to it”. It did not mean that the item would get lost or forgotten. But rather, the process to reach the goal would take longer. Slowing down means making sure key pieces are in place and that people are part of the process.

When communities try to juggle too many things at once, like my Pepsi cans, then something has to give. But, when something critical does occur reactions to the event speaks volumes to the capacity of a community learning from the incident. At one time one of my professors shared a simple formula: E + R= O. Emotion plus reaction equals outcome. This seems quite simple, but I think it is important to remember that we can shape the outcome of events in many ways. I admit, at one point I wanted to throw out my avocado pit that didn’t seem to be doing anything. But, I was gently reminded that some things take more time, and this was one of those instances.

Rural communities face many challenges while trying to stay rural in the urban forest. Building ways within communities that keep practices and people active, creative and engaged will help communities move forward. Taking the time to set the structures to move forward without leaping ahead takes group effort. However, with some time, patience, and trust things will start to grow, like the avocado pit.

“The whole struggle of life is to some extent a struggle about how slowly or how quickly to do each thing.” Sten Nadolny (author)

Growing Up Rural…

When first approached about writing a blog I thought, “What could I write about? I don’t know where to start!” But, when I put my mind to it I realized I had somewhere very real and meaningful to start from. I began to reflect upon where I grew up: rural Alberta on the border of British Columbia: Gundy, AB. There were no amenities except for the community hall, cattle range, cemetery, refuse dump, and two ball diamonds. We had to travel about 12 miles for the mail and the convenience store and 25 miles to the closest urban centre. For many years, there was only one road to access the community which was through British Columbia. Finally in the 80’s a secondary road was built from Alberta to the area.

Growing up on a mixed farm in Gundy I learned about what makes a community. I learned how meaningful connections can be made, and how connections can be strengthened, even with people who have been in the area for years. I learned where to turn to for support. Money rarely exchanged hands for work done; rather, a person’s word was taken at face value. A new neighbour was welcomed with a pot of chilli, home made buns, and cookies. Everyone was invited to the annual potlucks held throughout the year. No appointment was ever necessary to stop in to a neighbour. The coffee pot was on, the cookie tin was always full, and people stopped their work to sit and talk with each other. In spite of differences amongst some individuals the community was somehow able to move forward together. When my father had a farming accident the community rallied together to raise some funds to give us some financial support till my father was able to farm again. I recall while my father was hospitalized the farming and haying still got finished. How? By neighbours who brought over their own machinery without asking and just did it. Even as I write this and recall my childhood I have tears over that strong sense of community where people were connected in some shape or form.

In today’s world rural communities struggle to hold their identity in many different ways. Rural communities fight to keep or bring back their young people, strive to stay connected with emerging needs of urbanites relocating to rural, work hard to dissolve old rivalries, and endeavour to keep local businesses thriving. The 100 Mile Movement should not be a trend; it should be a mind-set. All levels of government need to begin to demonstrate that policy includes urban and rural. Equally important, governments and urban organizations need to include rural community leaders and organizations into dialogue and consultation. But, it starts with us and our own attitude about what rural communities mean to us.