Berries, berries
I love you so.
I love to sit
And watch you grow.
I pick you off
Your leafy stem.
You glisten like
A shiny gem.
I eat you up,
So ripe and sweet.
Your fleshy bits,
My favorite treat!
Sometimes I like
To squish you up.
And eat your sauce
When I do sup.
I like to think
That I'm a bear.
Steal my berries?
Thieves beware!
I'll forage here,
I'll forage there.
I'll find berries
Most anywhere!
Tonight I'll bake
Them in a pie.
A slice or two
I'll have to try.
With my tummy,
Plein de berry.
My dreams I'm sure
Will be most merry.
I'll dream of fruit
Piled mountain high.
Raining down from
A juicy sky.
Until my paws
Can pick once more.
I'll walk on two
Instead of four.
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| Caught- red handed! |
This morning, I was invited to be a part of a focus group through Healthy Brandon. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I jumped at the chance to be a part of a meeting at City Hall. Two days in a row now I've been admitted through the powerful doors into the Councillor's Meeting Room. Heavy oak desks and tall windows watching over our conversations, just as I'm sure they had with others, countless times before. I left today feeling energized, my mind racing over the issues we had discussed. My thoughts brimming and overlapping as I walked the few blocks home for lunch. Within minutes of sitting down, my notebook was out, my pen scratching ideas down quickly for fear of losing them. My brain consumed by ways to change things, ways to help.
The focus group today centered around a food assessment project that has taken on the task of working through phase one of their plan: Information Gathering. The main issues outlined by their project are those centered around access, affordability, and barriers to acquiring healthy food. Taking into consideration both income and proximity to food sources, they decided to focus their studies on three main groups of people living in the Westman area. Low income individuals, newcomers to Brandon and Canada, and the Soldiers and their families living out on the Shilo Military Base. It was their hope that this project would have a real community voice behind it and they have worked tirelessly gathering information from participants to help make informed choices and changes for the future. Looking at the food landscape of Brandon, they're working to highlight where there have been successes and where more supports are needed.
Sitting around the table with the other participants for the day, I was amazed at the sheer amount of shared knowledge in the room. Representatives from all sorts of organizations such as the Brandon Regional Health Authority, 7th Street Access Center, and The Community Garden Network were in attendance. We participated in the survey, answering questions about our own shopping preferences and habits as well as voicing our opinions over frustrations with our current food system. I was amazed to find that almost everyone in the room made the effort to buy local. Almost everyone gardened, canned, and preserved. Everyone who was there was not guided by only a personal desire to see things change, but in hopes that it would provide better opportunities for those in need.
It felt good to share my thoughts and ideas, what I have seen so far through Fruit Share and my own life growing up in Brandon. We discussed what issues our clients and those who we are dedicated to help might be experiencing. Lack of quality food due to too great a distance from full grocery stores. The increasing number of people who are forced to look to places like Giant Tiger for their weekly groceries. The transition of school-aged children from breakfast programs to the soup kitchen with their families during summer months. The lack of diabetic-friendly foods that are donated for a population where the health challenge is all too common. The need for cooking and gardening education to help increase skills for self-sustainability.
I left feeling happy to see that there are people with a genuine desire to make the changes necessary to help those who need it. I also left feeling like even with what i'm doing, it's not enough, it's not reaching the full potential of my power. Today I stand steadfast in my belief that our food policies and systems need to change to help provide for those they're leaving behind. In a city the size of Brandon, we can be that voice that asks for change. That demands change. We can be those hands that give to those without, who know generosity and caring. I look at the conditions within which I live and I see how lucky I am. Living with Samaritan House, Helping Hands, and the 7th Street Access Center all within a stone's throw from my apartment, I'm seeing each day the people who need our help. Consider doing what you can for those in Brandon who need it the most during the hot summer months. Donate at your local food banks or consider registering with Fruit Share to make sure your produce is used to it's greatest potential! Visit www.fruitshare.ca and follow us on Twitter @bdnfruitshare.
This morning, for the first time, I walked to work from my new apartment.
As luck would have it, we were able to find a place (Ok, a perfect place) within four blocks to my office. One block is uphill (hard to believe on the prairies, I know) and the other three take me down one of the main downtown corridors. My walk took me no more than five minutes, but I was amazed at the mood that I arrived with. I sat down at my desk with a grin on my face and actually said something to myself along the lines of Let's get to it! (Not normal)
Within those four blocks I smiled at numerous people, guessing at where they might be going to. I waved hello to a friend as she rode past me on her bicycle on her way to work. I smiled to myself as I trailed behind a father slowly strolling with his tiny daughter beside him. Obviously enjoying themselves and the cool morning weather. I breathed deeply as I went past my favorite breakfast place, detecting just a hint of savory meats and toasting bread. I marveled at how fast I could travel, my long legs stretching out happily before me.
I was worried that I would arrive at the office sweaty and harried. Exhausted and flustered.
But I wasn't. I was calm and collected. My hair was dried by the wind and for once my brow was free of sweat. My body and mind were both awake and ready for the day that stretched out before me. I always wanted a job that I could walk to. A schedule that would allow for those few minutes of fresh air and peace before the beginning of a busy day. Such a positive first day will be locked firmly into my mind so that at any time I begin to balk about the prospect of walking, I'll turn straight to that channel. To those happy legs and eyes and heart. To the smiles for others and the ones for myself. For the positive attitude and the positive changes it will bring about for both my body and mind.
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| Just out for a stroll |
July has me exhausted, and we're only on day four.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about my plan to eat healthy and be more physically active this month. So far, half of that is under way. Over the weekend, my husband and I moved from our second and third story apartment into our new third story apartment. Both of which are elevator-free. If I had to roughly estimate just how many stairs I've climbed over the past week, I'd put it at somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500. Of course, not just my legs got a workout. My whole body put in a full effort each day until I literally collapsed each night from absolute exhaustion. Although it was physically grueling, I was proud of my strong muscles for carrying my life from one home to another.
It has never been so evident, with my body working so hard, just how much it needs to keep going. With an empty fridge in both places, I felt at a loss without a cold drink or regenerating snack to reach for. Day one we were both terribly dehydrated. Guzzling full bottles of water when we could get our hands on them. Our clothes covered in salty lines from our gallons of sweat. Not only my body, but my mood suffered greatly with this lack of hydration and sustenance. More than once I was ready to call it quits until my thirst and hunger were sated, giving me just enough steam to push ahead. Still, our fridge sits almost completely empty, our thoughts and efforts still more concerned with mountains of boxes than bags of groceries. My goal to eat local produce turning into a smorgasbord of take-out options.
I have decided not to be dismayed by this delay in plans, but instead to use it to fuel my desire for change. Does my tummy love me after a week of french fries and meals served in styrofoam? No, not so much. Would it be really excited to be treated now to a whole array of locally grown fruit and vegetables? Yes, very much so. I can't help but feel like this new home is a fresh start in many ways. It's the perfect opportunity to start some healthy routines that will hopefully stick. Tonight I will be at the Global Market and I'm hoping it might be the first evening with some home-grown vegetables for sale. Taking care of both myself and my community at the same time sounds like a good plan to me.
Today I make a promise to myself to not only be caring to my body, but kind. I'm not looking to incorporate more plant-based fare as a punishment, but as a welcome change. I will be patient while I find the best sources for local produce and be forgiving of the times when I cannot uphold my promise. Even with the best of intentions, I know that I cannot be perfect. Five years of being a vegetarian has strengthened my resolve to eat what I know is best for me. I have a sneaking suspicion that once I start, I won't be able to stop. Reducing my carbon footprint and supporting local growers is just the happy by-product of this ultimately personal decision. You can trust that I will be sharing my ups and downs throughout the month (hopefully mostly ups!) and divulging where the best Manitoba produce can be found. Have tips or ideas? Are you looking to do the same and help protect your body and environment? Please share with me at fruitsharebrandon@gmail.com, find us on Facebook, or follow on Twitter @bdnfruitshare.
