Kickstarter

I wanted to share part of an article that really moved me today. It made me realize I'm not the only one to find myself in a trace when I meet such wonderful people who choose a simple life, creating great things. If you have a moment, please read the whole article. Here's a piece I want to quote because it really shares how I feel about the families I'm so lucky to have met and want to continue to support:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-l-walberg/antiques-roadshow-mark-walberg_b_1222080.html

"I'll never forget the young family who invited us to their farm. In the midst of miles and miles of huge corporate farms growing tons of corn and soybeans, sits a little corner of land with a modest house and all kinds of food growing on every inch of the humble property. There lives a young married couple and their two toddler-aged children. Both of these parents/farmers are college educated with graduate degrees. Rather than pursuing their fortune in the city, they made a conscious decision to do something bigger -- certainly not more lucrative -- but so much bigger.

They grow food -- just the two of them. It's a co-op where local people pay an annual subscription fee and have fresh produce delivered weekly. When I asked them if they were successful, their response was their goal was to live on a modest, average Iowa income while providing healthy organic food to as many people as their land would support. In that moment, and considering I had a son who was about to start college at the time, I thought this lifestyle choice would never even put a dent in their student loans! I also wondered how I would survive without cable TV and sushi delivery.

But their value system is different. They are physically thin but sinewy strong. They talk peacefully to each other with respect and obvious deep love. They seem so happy. They don't have a TV. They work 12-hour days -- together -- and have toddlers. No nannies. No mani-pedis. No SUV with DVD headrests. And they don't seem exhausted at all. Quite the opposite. It's a far cry from the harried look I see in the eyes of those millionaire soccer moms who frantically race to their bikini wax appointments before the babysitter leaves for the day. Not only are these two multiple-degreed young people great parents, they also feed a hundred families with delicious healthy food. They actually like to work together and enjoy what they do. They are filled up with purpose, not Venti non-fat lattes. Happiness from having a shared purpose is rare. And that rarity is valuable. If you don't think so, ask any of the families who eat their food."

Thank you to my Dear from Donna for sharing this with me!