Continued...

I don't remember much dialogue from our first face to face conversation, but I remember the eye contact. Some people repel with uncomfortable glances and distracted stares. Some people entertain with their laughing, shining eyes. Some people fall in love with the first twitch of an eyebrow. I felt like Jayne's twinkle was a finger gently spinning my retina like a record on a turntable. I still can't be sure if she was trying to cue up a song, or if she just liked to watch it go 'round. Before I left that day, Jayne introduced me to a friend of hers who came up to visit. I was granted what I thought to be a lengthy (and somehow flattering) introduction for us having been so shortly acquainted. The end is the only bit I remember, "...and I think he's looking for a job."

My life was certainly transitioning in that moment, and income generation was on my list of priorities, but my draw to the Eco-Learning Center and motivation for visiting there were elements of a search for inspiration. I suppose I could say I have shaved a least a sliver of inspiration from Ndibendaagwaz, enough to pull more weeds and chase more crab grass around the garden. Enough to do a little mulching, amending soils, tractor work and a few other random chores.

I can only hope the inspirational energies were not just one directional for the meals I've shared with Jayne and those who find themselves at the Eco-Learning Center. I have explored ideas new to me, and revisited old ones on the farm. I've had conversations for hours on end. I've taken time to just wander around and climb trees. There is a sensation involved with any trip I have taken to the farm. It seems to start with mild anxious excitement and culminates with a feeling in my chest like it has been numb, but the circulation is returning. This consistently happens when I vis! it regar dless of intentions, interactions, or accomplishments. It seems to come from feeling my feet planted firmly on the ground with my head lofting in the clouds. It is a fact that the sparse canvas which was my daily routine for that moment of my life now feels overflowing. While I feel my visits to the Eco-learning center have become more than infrequent, I look forward to my next opportunity to connect with this land that hums of life. And I always excitedly anticipate my next encounter with the stewardess of this land, one who has learned to tune in the eminent vibrations of what surrounds her, one who understands better than most what wisdom sings in these frequencies. I will count chickens until my next stroll with Wildness or my next cup of inspirational tea with

by Jayson Spaulding

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