Spirit of community...

Sitting on the floor of the Seattle airport. Fortunately, the only airport that had decent internet access was also the one I have the longest layover. In a little under an hour from now I'll be boarding a plane to Honolulu.

I'm still having a hard time processing it all. Setting the intention to make this leap a over a year ago now... I would have never even considered how amazing my life would become even before officially embarking.

My heart swims with a profusion of emotion. For the first time in my life, I've discovered something that seems to elude the vast majority of our society (at least the majority of American society). Community is an enigmatic thing. I'm sure I could wax at length (in fact, I think I have) about various explanations and ways to define the word without ever touching on what it actually means to be apart of one. 

Fact of the matter is, I could have never expected that the experience would be so visceral. A family so loving and dedicated not just to themselves and each other but to all of humanity. We want to change the world and we realized that none of us have what it takes to do that alone. We're going to need to get everyone on board if we hope to have any significant impact.

Without community the whole thing is a wash. Without supporting each other we will get very little accomplished. Only when we act selflessly do we find security. That is not an easy thing to recognize for most of us. Selfless action appears painful... only the true ascetic would bring such things upon himself.

The reality is quite surprisingly opposite. The more you give of yourself, the more is given to you... ultimately allowing you to give even more! The more you open yourself to these channels of energy the more fulfilling you find your life becomes. This is what is meant by "becoming a conduit".

As your giving and your capacity for giving grow you find that more and more people gravitate toward you and, recognizing you as a conduit, are more inclined to share their gifts with you. As they share and open up they too can discover the power of this positive feedback loop of selflessness. Before you know it, a whole community is loving and sharing and supporting each other (and you) while the stock of the of individual security increases exponentially.

Need a place to stay? I know 30 people that would love to take in a generous and loving soul. Looking for a helping hand with a project? I'll pick up a shovel with you because I know it's going to help feed a poor household.

This is only a small sliver of what it's like to experience real community. And now, after all the things I ever wanted from life started to surface out of these realizations... I'm taking that leap forward and leaving the family I just met to make more family on the other side of the world.

When I have a family reunion... I want 7 billion people celebrating with me! And I want our celebration to not only be about the discovery of this human family... but the discovery that by working together, we can heal all wounds, lift all debt, alleviate every bit of suffering and cultivate a world of peace, love and abundance for all.

What's burning in East Texas?

Just east of the Davy Crockett National Forest lies a little patch of red dirt I might one day call home. Douglass, Texas... crazy as it sounds, this place has a lot to offer. Pine trees, rich soils, natural springs, loving family and some of the most beautiful land in Texas are just a few of pleasures I have the good fortune to enjoy before my adventures ahead.

But is is all pleasure, the drought has hit this land particularly hard. Ponds and creeks are almost entirely dried up. Livestock and wildlife are struggling, not just to stay hydrated but to stay fed. Typical pastureland does not weather these arid extremes well... in fact, typical pastureland does not weather any extremes very well.

The vegetation is all but missing from the landscape this year. What is left hardly appeals to the ranging cattle. Many ranchers have sold off their herds early and those who haven't have had to invest a lot in imported feed to keep them going. Either way, conditions like these make ranching a costly venture.

To make an already bleak situation worse, it seems when the high-pressure front that has hovered over most of Texas all summer, and prevented many a storm front from quenching this parched landscape, has at last moved on, it does so not with much needed rain but rather with raging winds.

As I write this, there are evacuations just minutes up the road from where I sit. The smell of smoke hangs in the air and an orange glow lights up the sky to the North West. All that lies between my parents sapped land and a devastating inferno is a pine forest (tinderbox) and a small band of dedicated firefighters.

For us, fortunately, we will be spared this evening. The winds are in our favor and the flames are unlikely to make it this far tonight. Here's to hoping the winds don't shift!

Other's have not been so lucky. Continuing to add insult to injury, this summer will not subside without great losses to land, livestock, homes and wildlife. The thousands of acres ablaze across Bastrop and all throughout Texas today is an unfortunate example.

There are no easy solutions to the situation we are witness to this year. And, with the continual degradation of our landscape through deforestation, ecological neglect and agricultural misunderstandings there is a good chance the situation will get worse before it improves.

Not only is this trend held in place by many causes, it also doesn't seem to be localized to just Texas. All across the world, deserts are expanding while natural forests decline at alarming rates.

Despite the obvious challenges, there is a lot that we can do to turn this trend around... but it's going to take quite a shift from our current practices of land management. What we need is a holistic approach. Building on systems such as Holistic Land Management, Permaculture and reforestation efforts we can begin to rebuild our soils, buffer damage from natural disasters, recharge our springs, aquifers and rivers, and even increase precipitation.

These changes are going to require a great deal of cooperative effort on our part. Only by working together are we going to be able to have any substantial recuperative impact on our environment.

Leaning back

Kicking off the adventures right, these last two weeks have felt the equivelent of a month's worth of activity. Aside from not blogging on this page, here's a little taste of what I've been up to since my last blog post:

The adventure officially kicked off on Saturday, July 30 with the most inspirational display of community love and togetherness. Yes, it was a party. To call it an epic party might even qualify as an understatement. It was beautiful in all regards and elevated my spirit beyond any previous frame of reference.

After the explosion of love that was the end of July, the first weeks of August have been a whirlwind of organization and development. Not entirely centered around the development of my personal upcoming adventures (fortunately, much of that organization is already in place) but rather the organization of Community Cultivators.

Somehow, I've successfully managed to occupy more of my time on this development than my 40+ hours a week at Wheatsville. As you can imagine, a lot can get done in a couple of weeks with full time project development. A key to the future will be figuring out a way to make this work a paid gig (or at the very least, a self-sustaining one).

Recognizing the community had reached an obvious inflection point, the consensus could be felt hovering in the air and floating on the breath of every conversation... it's time to get organized!

One meeting, two meetings, committees, defined roles, events, a list of projects, timelines... Engagement, involvement, inspiration, encouragement, excitement! These are but a few of the happenings I've been blessed to witness over the past two weeks... and, above all else, the deep understanding that we've only barely begun to scratch the surface of potential with in this thing we call Community!

From reading this blog it's easy to extrapolate that this is about all I do. Well, yea... but what else is there? Follow your passion! There is no time to waste on anything that doesn't feed your spirit!

I feel incredibly fortunate to have found a community of people as passionate about life as I. But I didn't find that by sitting around my living room in apathy. Bare your passion to the world. If you don't find your community, Cultivate it!

Yes, it takes time and it takes commitment... the benefits are well worth your efforts!

And now, I set myself out to embark on an adventure that will carry this passion around the globe. Life is as much about cultivation as it is about exploration.

Until then, leaning out: giving the community the opportunity to find its own identity and build its own narrative.

Separating myself has to be one of the most challenging parts of this whole process. So many beautiful things on the horizon.

From a continent away I will look on and watch how we grow together even while separated by great distance.

Blah blah... none of this is what you came to this blog to read. You want to hear about my adventures. Well, stay tuned. The adventures have just begun.

32 days from Honolulu. 42 from Kona. 52 from Molokai. 59 from Australia. and 64 from complete permaculture immersion!

Next stop... Douglass, Texas?

Starting with an affirmation

As the freedom of this epic journey starts to permeate further into my reality I am overwhelmed by the love and generosity of the beautiful community here. I've tried several times to capture my appreciation in words with little success. Rather than continue to blunder through that line let me get back to brass tax...

Last night I raised an additional $200 for my future permaculture aid work efforts. Despite what the ChipIn sidebar says, I am now a mere $50 from reaching my first goal of $1000 to carry the seeds of permaculture to parts of the world that are, for one reason or another, most in need of this revolution in ecological land management.

I never imagined I would come this far and, even more so, be so well received by you all. I'd like to take this opportunity to reaffirm my conviction that I intend to show you how your contribution has made a difference in the world. This is not some large faceless charity you've contributed to and I will refrain from trying to guilt you with images of starving children. I intend to pull back the veil on some of the root causes of poverty and famine and expose real solutions that demonstrate that the potential for abundance can be found anywhere.

That's a tall order, I know. But I don't have any hesitation in saying your contributions will go toward accomplishing just that. I've separated the donated money from my personal accounts and travel expenses. This will help to ensure that each dollar donated goes directly to these goals and I will not withdraw on that money until I feel I can justify its use toward that end.

jennajasso.com

Indeed I feel very fortunate to be in a place were I can take this leap and experience life in this way. None of this has come easy and I have no illusions about the incredible challenges that lie ahead. I arrived here through hard work and dedication, however, what I'm doing is not extraordinary. Rather, it is the result of applying myself to what I truly believe. Life is what we make it...

YOU make it amazing!
---
To all the people who have inspired me and helped to make this journey possible...
~My Deepest Thanks~

Evolution

"Does it feel weird?"

A mix between loss and gain. Opportune blessing strung together through separation and farewells.

How does it feel? How's it going to feel?

As more and more of my past is trimmed away I keep wondering how this is going to all turn out. My mind pacifies itself envisioning scenarios of other world views. But, how can I envision the world to come without the lenses only experience can provide?

I think the trick to evolution is letting go of all this. The filters that disguise our reality eventually inhibit our experience. The optometrist told me I have perfectly healthy eyes as I sat wondering why I was paying for a new pair of glasses.

What is it like to leave the door open on your future? Does it feel weird?

Only if you are tied to your past. Some of us are... painfully so.

Evolution doesn't often happen without some discomfort.

Every time a bird moults its feathers, and a snake sheds its skin, as painful as it might be... new opportunities emerge. Minor adaptations that can build into competitive advantage... or increased cooperative associations! 

Your mind has the same potential. By shedding your mental dialog which, for all intents and purposes, is the skin of your mind, you open yourself up for new opportunities... 

Evolution.

Ready or not...

My bag is packed. Yes, I said bag. As in singular.

Ok, so I will have a second bag... for my books. Aside from that, I have consolidated my life for the next year + into one bag. It's a beautiful thing and I'm still having a hard time grasping it.

It's like it's all happening of it's own accord now. A flow.

Maybe more like a torrent?

By the end of the weekend I'll be for all intents and purposes, homeless. Really, that is to say, I will not have my inviting bed and only a hardwood floor to lay my head. Well, thats not true either.

Now, lets be completely honest... the point of this blog post is not to waste your time with silly exaggerations because...
Ready or not - IT'S TIME TO PARTY!

You are cordially invited to my Permaculture Adventure Kickoff!

When: Saturday, July 30th at 8pm -- until the party ends.

Join me at the Deadend Homestead:
3616 Pennsylvania Ave
Austin

Hope to see you there!!

Minutes from freedom

I'm continually humbled by the generosity and genuine graciousness of my community. Everyday I'm reminded of the great gift I've been given in this life... that really, IS this life! It's powerful stuff and it deserves constant acknowledgement and reverence.

It's hard to comprehend that less then a month from now this journey that has been nearly a year in the making will officially be in full swing. Granted, I'm not stepping on a plane until Mid-September. This often leads people to the impression that my experience doesn't start until my flight. I've learned that my experience is not defined by airports and long-distances but, rather, by experience itself... and, since even before this journey was conceived, my experiences were driving me to this point. If it were to all end here, I'd have no regrets!

That is not to say that the experiences to come aren't themselves full of excitement... quite the contrary! What I'm trying to express is the recognition I've come to that, although I'm approaching a whole new chapter of my life, I'm not starting over... nor will the next chapter be somehow independent from this one. Essentially, the way I look at it, I've already begun this journey... in fact, I've been on this journey for a long time now. Each chapter has been unique and interesting and held an excitement all it's own but never has one chapter been independent of all the rest.

Even in the day in and out routines of modern work life I've been traveling and building upon the book of my experience. Sure, those chapters might bore you to tears and seem to drag on and on... not all the chapters in an adventure novel can be about slaying dragons and exploring unknown territories! Some chapters are about character development and setting up the story. An author sacrifices these details at his own peril... and we, without clear vision and zeal, can easily fail to see how a moment of drudgery can lead us to pure ecstatic freedom [if only for a moment]! 

So, when I'm asked, "how much longer before you start your journey?" I find it hard not to question what the person's definition of this journey is. Mostly, when asking this question, it seems what people really want to know is "what's your timeline?"

With all my material possessions being divvied out amongst friends and family, my residence for the over the past year already rented to new tenants, and the training of my replacement at work... it would seem pretty silly for me to say that I've not already begun!

Where does this "new chapter" begin to unfold, you ask? Well, on Friday, July 29th I'll celebrate my last day at Wheatsville Co-op. That weekend will also mark the moment in time where my home will officially transfer into the hands of it's new tenants. That may be the most definite mark of this transition. At that time I will move from a life dominated by obligations and responsibilities to one defined much more by inspirations and aspirations.

"Oh, but you still have a long time to go before you leave. What are you going to do until then?"

Yes, my flight does not leave until September 14th. And yes, That means I have a whole month and a half with no job and no home. What am I going to do for a month and a half?! [feel free to imply deep tones of sarcasm to that statement]

I have some plans. I have some ideas. Most of all... I have nothing to hold me back! What will I do? I'll live a moment of freedom! A moment of unscripted vitality! Yes, a much deserved vacation!

If you know me well enough... you know that I find it hard to not be productive, even while I sleep (yes, I listen to audio books sometimes when I sleep... it's educational). So, even this "vacation" is not intended to be a laze fest. I want to take this opportunity to return some of this beautiful and amazing gift to those who've shared so generously with me. 

On this new chapter I've yet to embark, but the journey has been underway for the entirety of my life up to this point... thank you for being apart of that!