#Seed011: Community Vitality & the Unexpected

On why we should just stop planning and start being spontaneous

Image credits: Aladdin Shishani

“Well, you can go on looking forward. There may be many unexpected feasts ahead of you.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

I recently came back from a trip with my family to a small hobby farm in Vermont to learn about homesteading. When I got back to my home, I took a stroll around my garden with my daughters. We had been away for just under a week and I was amazed to see how everything changed. The amaranth tripled in size, the beanstalk grew and flowered, and the black raspberries were ready to be picked.

I tend my garden daily and the changes are so subtle that they are hardly noticeable. This is not so unlike my interactions with family and friends. I see them often and seldom notice their ageing or their growth. It is only those who I barely see who seem to have grown so tall or whose hair has turned grey. I think this is how we know our community. A community is a group of people who come together regularly and consistently, and who change ever so subtly. I could tell the difference about who is part of my community and who isn’t by the way I notice how they change.

But regularly interactions don’t necessarily strengthen community bonds. We’ve all been there, trying to plan an outing with a friend only to be exhausted by the back-and-forth. The planning is too energy intensive. It is like spending your time obsessing about weeds and trying to make sure that your fruit tree looks just right. Just let it be.

I believe that community life, or even better, vitality, is sustained by unexpected interactions. A community ceases to be when all of its interactions are planned and designed from the top. I’m not saying that we should completely scrap organized events, but I think that as community-builders, we need to think about ways to plan unexpected interactions. In my community at the Rhoda Masjid, we organize a community gathering around prayer and food. These have become a beacon for community vitality, namely because they provide an avenue for those unexpected interactions. Sure, the event is planned, but what this gathering provides is a launch pad for people of all ages to get together, share in conversation and prayer, and play.

We need more spontaneity in our lives. Our society tries to convince us that we have power over our time and space. We fill our agendas with frivolity, forcing our children to reluctantly partake in activities and planning our days to escape boredom.

As I observed my garden beds, I noticed an abundance of wood sorrel. I harvested that sour tasting grass and made a bunch of pesto. The wood sorrel was an uninvited guest, an unexpected encounter. Had I planned, I may have just pulled the “weed” and been done with it. But I’ve learned through foraging and wildcrafting that if we take the time to observe, we find the subtle gifts of God. I invite you to unexpectedly share a moment with your neighbour. Show up at someone’s house with a home-cooked dinner. I promise, in those unexpected encounters, you’ll find the subtle gifts of God.

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Drawing Inspiration

Every week, I share books, podcasts, films, and other resources that will support your journey as a community facilitator and builder.

Books

During my trip, I really got excited about wildcrafting. As someone who loves exploring new flavours in my cooking, I picked up The New Wildcraft Cuisine: Exploring the Exotic Gastronomy of Local Terroir by Pascal Baudar. Not only is this book beautiful, it is a valuable resource. Unlike a typical recipe book, Baudar provides readers principles of wildcrafting. He encourages experimentation and challenges the reader to explore his or her local terroir.