Wwoofing, for the uninitiated, is working on farms or gardens in return for your keep. You can do it anywhere in the world on family farms, market gardens, communities - just about anywhere that grows food. Its great. You travel with purpose. You meet interesting people, you get a taste of life in different places and its always good to work on the land. I've been meaning to do it for years.
So, I've just spent a long weekend wwoofing at a local community - beautiful, large house and grounds where I milked cows and goats, fed sheep, dug and weeded and planted and generally made myself useful and, in the process, got a fascinating glimpse of another way of life. Lovely people who made me so welcome and shared their lives and experiences with me, and fed me the most wonderful food. Definitely to be recommended!
There was another wwoofer there, an american girl and I couldnt decide if the glimpse she was getting of english life was completely atypical, or quintessentially english.
And through it all, waves of worry about my son on so many counts. I have absolutely no doubt that he can make it in life, but his chosen path could well prove difficult, lonely and even dangerous for him. He is shutting so many doors, including doors that would lead him to his chosen career, and I cannot for the life of me understand why. I understand his lust for travel and his need to explore pastures new and would be happy to let him go, but I do not understand this final shutting of doors on his past, his education, his family and the life we have made here - his roots. Did I understand him so little when he was growing up? Was my thoughtful, considerate, communicative - oh so communicative - apparently happy, clever and motivated son in reality so desperately unhappy that he needs to so thoroughly, so finally, reject it all?
So, I've just spent a long weekend wwoofing at a local community - beautiful, large house and grounds where I milked cows and goats, fed sheep, dug and weeded and planted and generally made myself useful and, in the process, got a fascinating glimpse of another way of life. Lovely people who made me so welcome and shared their lives and experiences with me, and fed me the most wonderful food. Definitely to be recommended!
There was another wwoofer there, an american girl and I couldnt decide if the glimpse she was getting of english life was completely atypical, or quintessentially english.
And through it all, waves of worry about my son on so many counts. I have absolutely no doubt that he can make it in life, but his chosen path could well prove difficult, lonely and even dangerous for him. He is shutting so many doors, including doors that would lead him to his chosen career, and I cannot for the life of me understand why. I understand his lust for travel and his need to explore pastures new and would be happy to let him go, but I do not understand this final shutting of doors on his past, his education, his family and the life we have made here - his roots. Did I understand him so little when he was growing up? Was my thoughtful, considerate, communicative - oh so communicative - apparently happy, clever and motivated son in reality so desperately unhappy that he needs to so thoroughly, so finally, reject it all?
No comments:
Post a Comment