Like everything these days, expressing an opinion is the surest way to find yourself in a idealogical box of some kind. "He's a hippie" they said. "He doesn't care about the environment" they said. I don't know who "they is" most of the time, but "they" probably haven't logged many hours on a farm. This is unfortunate.

Avoiding political minefields is partly the reason behind my reluctance to dive into a variety of topics, but today I'm pressing forward. I must acknowledge that I've been dabbling with some of the principles of permaculture. For those familiar with this topic, you understand that it carries with it a reputation (earned or unearned) for being unscientific. For those of you who are not familiar, "founder" Bill Mollison describes permaculture as a...

"philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labour; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system."

Protracted observation. This theme has come up over and over again in my lifetime - particularly in landscaping, theology, and parenting. It is the idea that sometimes our "thinking" evolves; the way we see things changes because of time, orientation and understanding. For me, mowing over this Spring's super-bloom highlighted a new footprint for our land's vineyard and in a moment, all of my plans changed.

I'm stating the obvious: "thinking evolves." While permaculture can't claim this idea, I am forced to accept that my plans, the suggestions of paid consultants, and academics alike can all crash in a moment of epiphany. Permaculture provided an agricultural context for a philosophical idea. Today I saw a new pattern in the land. A new approach. A new path through the guidelines provided by the trees.

Some of my life's most sincere reflections often correspond to ideas that I'm learning from our land. I'm forced to accept new realities about myself (the land); my interpretation of myself (the land) changes - and after years of working AGAINST something, I could probably find relief working WITH something.