Una Forma de Amar Diferente

Hello dear bloggership! These days, I'm doing quite well. The interpersonal stress in my household over gender/personality issues has calmed down a little, and while they mostly remain unresolved, things are at least friendly. I'm feeling more comfortable in this house and with work, things like community meal (when 20 people show up to eat dinner with the 10 of us) no longer stress me out.

Tonight I just finished a small batch of applesauce. Our biggest pot was full of apple slices, but they boiled down to 5 quarts. They're next to the computer and one of them happily popped a few seconds ago, signaling the successful sealing of the jar. Without decomposing bacterial invasion, that seal is capable of preserving the applesauce inside for many years to come. About a month ago, I picked up some jars from an old Fellowship of Hope (intentional community) house, some of which had food still in them. The lids said 95 and 97. Everything still looked good, so I broke that precious seal on a jar full of pears, then ate them all. They were delicious. But not nearly as delicious as my 5 quarts of applesauce will be when I open them up with some loved ones in the dead of winter.

There's something that I've wanted to write for a long time but I haven't gotten it out, its about bikes, specifically why I love them so much. Not only do they build amazing muscles in your legs that allow you to go all day and not get tired, help your body stay strong to ward off diseases, prevent future medical complications, and save you money on car insurance, maintenance, and gas, they also build community. Riding a bike, you go slowly, at 20 miles per hour or less. At this speed, and lacking the metal box enclosing most street travelers, you can make eye contact with and say hello to people sitting in their driveways, enjoying the afternoon.

I thought all of this was well and good, perfect even, until now that I've been doing it for a long time and I still haven't gotten to know my neighbors. I've made eye contact with, smiled at and said hello to many people who pass by my bike shop as I work and also many people on a few streets around Elkhart as I ride my bike around. But just that isn't enough for me to have a sense of community.

Earlier this week I stopped at Ox Bow Park on my way to Goshen to take pictures of the beautiful leaves and trees. Breaking my ride up like that really helped me to relax and feel great, also to appreciate nature. Riding my bike is great for me, but I still need to stop and take time to relax.

In Honduras I really felt comfortable in my town when I could walk around and greet people by name. Towards the end I started to hear 'A wiki-wiki WAMBA!!!' when local high schoolers would see me. They were just repeating the camp chant that I had taught them, but it helped me to know that I was a part of their lives and their community. It is a beautiful feeling, something I will cherish forever.