I don't know about you, but I have a deeply rooted dislike of failure. Whether my story is that I'm disappointing others, letting people down, or simply embarrassing myself, if my results are less than perfect I have actually failed. It's a pretty common theme in our culture, pointing out what isn't perfect, criticizing best efforts, and focusing on where we didn't achieve a stretch goal.

Cob here, to share the news of the week at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, and to look at some of the ways that focusing on perfection gets in the way of making any progress at all. These are my stories, of course, and your personal mileage may vary.

Last week kicked off with hosting an engaging group of high-school students from the Ferguson, Missouri area, where they have been learning about growing their own food. Their multi-day field trip to NEMO included a number of Rabbit-led workshops on topics as wide-ranging as alternative energy, raising livestock, permaculture gardening techniques, and communication and conflict resolution skills. They clearly enjoyed their stay at the Milkweed Mercantile and their interactions with us "locals". They also expressed a newfound amazement at the amount of waste and unsustainable practices they were accustomed to in their own homes, and an enthusiasm for making changes upon their return.

I am often resistant to making changes in my usual way of doing things, either because it takes a bit of effort and mental focus until the new routine becomes habit, or I keep messing up and start to wonder why I'm bothering with the attempt at all. I really appreciated seeing the excitement these kids had for trying to do things differently.

The final week of the current visitor program also wrapped up this week, with a number of folks applying for residency at Dancing Rabbit, which means many new faces this fall or next spring. It also meant many wondering/wandering conversations about how to best prepare for the move.

Every situation is different. There are often jobs to find or leave, homes to sell or rent, possessions to pack, store, or sell, and families to talk with. My conversations with this group often took place one-on-one during meal preparation time, and I was struck by the common fear of doing the wrong thing, as if that could be known without exploration or making the attempt.

This fear wasn't just about the big life-changing stuff either. It's common for helper cooks to make sure they're cutting the onions just right, or slicing the cucumbers thinly enough. Their concern for doing everything just-so, reminds me that I am not very discriminating about the relative importance of things in my own life. In other words, I'm just as likely to obsess about the small stuff as I do the big things.

Speaking of a different kind of cooking, the Milkweed Mercantile will be hosting a workshop with experienced soap-maker and herbalist Kim Kanney, owner of Artemisia Soaps & Herbals. She will teach soap making on Saturday, August 27th, and the concoction and use of herbal salves, tinctures, and other plant medicine on Sunday, August 28th. You can attend either, or both, and all meals are included. Look here for details and to reserve your space, or call the Mercantile at 660-883-5522.

We had our full complement of committee meetings, in-between-meetings homework, and even a full Board meeting this past week too. One of the dynamics I've been noticing a lot lately (perhaps you've guessed it already) is the tension between "good enough" and "needs more work". Discerning my own answer is tricky enough, and I have a deep appreciation for the work that we all put into our collective decision making. Now, how to bring that commitment to consensus to our state and national political institutions I wonder?

I'd like to offer a sweet shout out to local cool kid and amazing drummer, Elijah Cooley, for harvesting and delivering a truckload of sweet corn this week. I sometimes feel disappointed in myself for not growing more of my own food, or even fully utilizing the garden space that I have. Gardening time is often what gets sacrificed in my life when my schedule is overfull, so many thanks to everyone who grows more than they need themselves, and who are willing to share their bounty!

Local folks, feel free to drop us a line if you have a surplus that needs harvesting. There are generally a few Rabbits who are happy to help out to make sure things don't go to waste. We also have a somewhat large appetite for large quantities of just about any fruit or vegetable that we can purchase to freeze, dehydrate, preserve, or otherwise squirrel away for the coming colder months. Contact me personally if you'd like to take advantage of our small public market space right here in the Ecovillage. Our larders will thank you.

I'll take this next paragraph to share a recent proud-papa moment. My son Duncan, who will be a senior at Scotland County R-1 this fall, had the opportunity to participate in a three-week art camp at the Kansas City Art Institute. The focus of his time there was in creating animations (both by hand, the old-school way, and digitally) and practicing figure drawing. The results were simply amazing, and I had to show everybody, so we held a gallery showing in Casa, complete with wine & cheese. Duncan mounted a selection of his work, and we projected the animations on the big screen, while he offered quick life sketches upon request.

What is art, if not the continual practice of giving yourself permission to fail? How many things have I not done in my life because of my fear of failing, or not being good enough at something? Here is my son showing me that it doesn't matter. Just do the best you can, and the result will be whatever your best is in that moment. You will have learned something along the way, and the results can be amazing, even if not what you expected.

Which brings me to this Monday, August 8th. According to the Global Footprint Network, that is this year's Earth Overshoot Day, when we have consumed nature's annual budget for 2016. Everything we extract, exploit, transport, and use-up, from today until the end of the year, adds to our growing ecological debt. The voluminous details on their methodologies, analysis of analyses, and disclaimers are too dense for my poor brain, but the results are clear. We are living beyond our means. Note that this particular report isn't about climate change nor partaking in whatever debate remains on that topic.

The report also notes that Earth Overshoot Day occurs earlier each year, so not only are we living beyond our means, we're getting worse at it. I have noticed that I tend to give up before I start when a problem is this big. Even knowing that many small changes add up to big ones doesn't really help me in the moment. The task is too daunting. The price of failure too high.

I have made a commitment to myself this week: to practice failing more, and most importantly, giving myself permission to fail. I don't expect that anything will change overnight, or that my paltry efforts will produce the results I long for, but I'll certainly learn new things along the way... and it might just be amazing.
 

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Wow! All of the remaining visitor sessions for 2016 are full! You can get on the list for next year's sessions, but if you just can't wait to be here, you can join the Permaculture Design Course, happening at Dancing Rabbit Sept 17-25th. Spots are filling up, so register now!

Another way (for local-ish folk) to see DR sooner is our annual Open House, happening on Saturday Sept 10th, 1-4 pm. Hope to see you there!
 

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Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and nonprofit outside Rutledge, in northeast Missouri, focused on demonstrating sustainable living possibilities. Find out more about us by visiting our website, reading our blog, or emailing us.