By Tom Braford
Lao Tzu famously said ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.’ Likewise, putting together a 1000-piece puzzle starts with selecting one piece and then finding other pieces that fit into or at the edge of it.
You could say that is what we are doing in creating this network of Ecovillages, except that it is more like finding a big box of partially completed puzzle sets, 100-piece, 500-piece and 1000-piece puzzles, all on similar themes that someone dumped together in a box that does not have a picture on the cover of what any of the assembled puzzles is supposed to look like.
We know going in that we will have to alter some pieces and even make others that are missing. It helps that we can see that some pieces clearly include elements of things we would or would not like to see in our Ecovillage. Slowly, coherent images emerge and then some patterns and, at some point, I realize the puzzle is alive and working with us to bring itself forth.
That is the experience I am having now. It is like they say, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. In my case, though, it is more like a whole faculty and fellow students have suddenly arrived. It is not just people either, there are red deer showing up in my garden and big blue, green, gray and white water birds and hawks circling overhead.
I am even recognizing puzzle pieces that I have seen before, perhaps in another lifetime or on another planet, but now they are being joined by new ones every day and coming together in ways that no one has ever seen before. It really is quite delightful.
Would you like to join us in being put together by a puzzle? Come discover what roles you might play in putting together the Arizmendi Ecovillage. If you want to get involved or learn more, please connect through our website or Facebook.
Contact:
braford@sbcglobal.net
www.ArizmendiEcovillage.com