Let me tell you a real world story about my second dad – a German farmer who is my inspiration for my vision of what we can create in this world.
Hubert moved to Portugal to escape the fallout of Chernobyl in the 1980’s. When he arrived in the Algarve, the valley he purchased was approaching desertification with only a few cork trees remaining. He immediately set to work creating a “Stausee” which is a man made dam that catches rain water in the short rainy season and allows you to use the water the rest of the year in the dry season. With the water from the Stausee, he started a garden for vegetables, a pasture for the farm animals, and also a forest to help rehabilitate the ecosystem. Over the course of his lifetime, Hubert planted over 30,000 trees and transformed the valley into a thriving ecosystem. He was so proud when hedgehogs were discovered in the garden, as that is a very niche species and is a great indicator of ecosystem health.
My parents moved from Germany to the farm in a VW bus and while I was growing up my dad was building a house for us to live in. The first birthday present I remember getting was a mini tool set so that I could help my dad on the jobsite. I essentially had two dads – Hubert was like my other dad and every morning I would run up the hill and look for Hubert so we could go work the fields with the tractor. I can’t put my finger on why this was so formative for me, but I have never struggled with intrinsic motivation or work ethic and I think growing up seeing my dads working every day was part of it.
Life on the farm was perfect as a kid. My dad had helped build a Waldorf school in the valley so there were always kids clustering around, playing games and exploring the property. We would go down to the river and try to find snakes, build forts on the hillsides, play with farm animals, climb the cork trees, or go swim in the Stausee. I felt at home with the world as my playground.
In a large part, I am wanting to recreate my childhood experiences and feelings of safety, connection and play in community. I also want to create that experience for my future children, as well as give my parents the opportunity to grow old with us and have a special connection with their grandchildren.
There is a different way of life available to us all, and I want you to be able to experience what that life is like so you can feel it for yourself.
