#responsibleliving

This World Environment Day, let’s choose progress with responsibility. A greener planet is not just a dream, it is a duty we all share.

India’s journey is built on sacrifice, courage, and collective responsibility.

This Republic Day, let’s pause to appreciate our freedom and reflect on how our everyday decisions contribute to a stronger tomorrow.

Happy Republic Day. 🇮🇳

These days, even we adults seem to have the attention span of a tired, sugar-crashed toddler, but I hope this post will be worth your time and attention. ¡Disfrutela! (Enjoy it!)

The biodiversity here in Costa Rica truly is amazing. The country's unique climate diversity and its geographical position between the North and South American continents provide numerous habitats that are homes to more than 500,000 species, ranking Costa Rica's biodiversity among the highest in the world. Here I have seen some beautiful birds – some with rather strange calls and sounds. I've seen colorful and massive plants and trees, and all sorts of animals and insects all over the place.

The land itself is rich and full of life. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be had year-round. The mangos here are the best I have ever had – so sweet and refreshing under the hot tropical sun.

Since moving here, and for once, finally having our own back yard, my husband and I have started growing a few small veggies and herbs of our own. Of course, we have a few things to learn about gardening here... Like how to ward off armies of ants and sneaky, peckish birds. For instance, I planted some cilantro and basil seeds a few weeks ago. They sprouted very quickly, making me a proud first-time Costa Rican gardener. They were growing sturdy and quickly, and I was looking forward to cooking with these fresh spices. Then, the next day, I went out to water them... and they had literally disappeared. They weren't wilted. They weren't dead. They were gone! Vanished! No trace of their ever being there at all. Someone/thing had stolen my cilantro! My basil! Well, at least the culprits have left alone my lettuce and sweet pepper plants though – so far. Currently we're in round two of growing the cilantro and basil, this time in a less prominent spot in hopes that the thieves will leave some for us to enjoy this time. We'll see!

It takes a lot of work to grow and tend even this little space of ours, but I have found that I love getting my hands dirty. I love the feeling of kneeling, digging, planting, and standing back to watch nature do what it does so miraculously.

When I was growing up, my mom and dad and my grandparents all grew spectacular gardens. It took a lot of hard work. (And they endured a lot of complaints from us kids when they called us out to the garden to help turn, plant, weed or harvest.) But on those warm summer nights, sitting around the family dinner table after a hot day in the sun, we would feast on the freshest green beans, potatoes, corn, beets, and more. Plates were filled with colors and savory flavors straight from the earth. And our bellies would be filled with nourishment from the same. After dinner we would rest – our bodies sinking into that feeling of tiredness accompanied by satisfaction in a day's work. 

As we grew older, went to college, got married, moved away... We also moved away from our roots. From putting our hands in the soil. We didn't have time to plunge our hands into the dirt – to turn the soil, plant a seed, and wait for it to grow and bear fruit. We only had time to fill our shopping carts with foods that could be revived in 15 minutes or less. Someone else in an imaginary land far, far away would plant and harvest, cook and can or bag our foods. And when we were too tired or too busy to cook for ourselves, we'd stop in somewhere and have someone else do that for us too.

We were utterly disconnected from the earth and our source of nourishment. And soon my body began to tell me so. I remember one day, standing in the Swails Center at Emmanuel College, talking to a student. Suddenly, my body felt cold and numb, and my heart thudded hard and irregularly in my chest. Everything turned bright white. I bent forward, with my hands on my knees, steadying myself so I wouldn't fall over. The sensation passed in a matter of seconds, but fear remained in its place. Periodically, for years following that day, I continued to feel these irregular heartbeats. I started identifying when I felt them more... They came most frequently when I ate at certain restaurants and when I cooked those ready-to-eat meals on busy and tiresome nights.

Though I probably I should have, I've never seen a doctor about this issue. I knew I wasn't treating my body well, knowing what I was putting into it.

I knew the machinery of my body required premium fuel, but I only filled it with low-grade, sludged-up, chemically-altered fuel. I just felt I didn't know how to change it. 

One January a few years ago, to kick off the year, Nick and I started on something called "the Daniel fast." Now, some people will tell you this is just a fad diet labeled as a fast, and still others will recount an incredible experience of prayer and fasting. For me, I say it depends on your intent for it. If your focus is health and weight loss, then of course, it's a diet plan. But, for us, our focus was seeking the Father and denying ourselves things we wanted in order to remind us that we should want Him and seek Him even more.

When was the last time I had craved His presence more than I craved a savory southern-fried-something meal, or a gourmet dark chocolate-covered-whatever?

...Exactly.

Over the course of this fast, though it wasn't my intent or focus, I began to see and feel a change in my body. Sure, the first several days I craved certain foods. I had headaches and experienced hunger. But, within two weeks, I had more energy. I had not experienced those palpitations in my chest, and my skin even started to look clearer and healthier.

I'd like to say that our eating habits were forever changed then and there, but it's just not true. We ended up staying gluten-free for quite some time, though we weren't complete sticklers about it if we were eating with other people who hadn't planned accordingly. Eating gluten-free seemed to have a positive effect on us, but admittedly, it was a bit more difficult than we'd expected in terms of planning, shopping, cooking, eating out and reading labels on practically everything. Now, I'd say we have a dramatically reduced gluten intake, though we're not entirely gluten-free fanatics. But, I'm getting ahead of myself...

It wasn't until we moved here to Costa Rica that Nick and I really reformed our eating habits. Several things have affected how we shop and eat: a smaller budget, a different pace of life, and the availability of fresh foods, to name a few.

But whatever the factors, we haven't bought a single frozen or boxed meal since we've been here. While we don't yet grow all of our fruits, veggies and herbs, we at least know the faces of the people that do. Every weekend, we go to the local farmers' market (referred to as "la feria") in the Centro de Escazú. There, we typically go to the same vendors each week for various fruits and vegetables that they sell faithfully every weekend. I like going to the same vendors when I can because the exchanges have become more and more genuine over time.

Maybe it sounds strange, but as I pass the market stands and speak to the vendors, I like to look at their hands.

Their hands are hardened from days in the sun and tools in their palms. Dirt lines their fingernails and the creases in their knuckles like a second skin. Those who work with berries have fingertips stained in varying shades of wine-red. These men and women work the soil, they tame the earth, and they share the fruits of their labor. They are valuable experts. I admire their skill and their sweat. And I am blessed by their harvest. So, I greet them, talk to them in my broken (but improving!) Spanish, look them in the eye, and I thank them in earnest. 

Given our snuggly fit budget, Nick and I only eat out on rare occasions. When we do, we often eat at a select few sodas and local places. Fun Tico Time fact: sodas are usually very small, family-owned, Tico-style restaurants that serve typical Costa Rican dishes like rice and beans, empanadas, and casados. Once in a while, we'll go to other restaurants, but that is only reserved (or possible) for special occasions.

Of course there are some nights when I'm tired, when we get home late, and I don't feel like cooking. But if I will just cook anyway, we eat better and we eat cheaper. When we cook at home, we typically eat pretty simply, but we never lack for satisfaction. We'll usually have some variation of seasoned rice, steamed veggies, fruit, and a meat of some sort. The fresh bits come from the market, and the meats we try buy from a local butcher. So, really, the rice is often the only thing on our plates without an easily traced source. 

So, what is my point?

We were given dominion over the earth. To tend and tame it. But we often abuse and pillage her, or completely forget about her, in the name of convenience – our busy lives take precedence over the very ground that we stand on and live from. We use up her resources without a thought to how we got those very resources to our tables, or to who turned the soil for us in the first place. This is not a life of thankfulness. This is not being a good steward of that was entrusted to us. This is not loving our neighbor (i.e. those invisible farmers in lands far, far away).

So, what do we do about it? We can't all be farmers. A lot of us don't even have yards, much less full gardens, right?  And, of course, life is busy. Life is hard enough without the addition of having to feel guilty about how we shop and eat. So, what then? Revamping everything at once is probably not realistic for you and your family. So, perhaps you could just take a moment to evaluate your choices and patterns. Start with a few small adjustments, and just keep evaluating and adjusting as often as you can. For example:

Next time you make out your grocery list, see how many things can be traced to the soil in just a step, or even two. Cross off a few that can't. Try changing just one thing each week when you shop, cook, or even eat out. (And, no, I'm not talking about condiments, cooking oil, or your paper towels... I'm talking about that box'o cheesy potatoes versus actual potatoes.)

And next time you head out to the grocery store, especially in the summer months, consider making your way to the closest farmers' market instead. Look these men and women in the eye, look at their hands, smell the soil – the earth still dusting your fresh lettuce and tomatoes. (Say "thank you," with eye contact.) Nourish your body straight from God's good earth as He intended. And see how your body begins to thank you, with energy and vibrance and health.

And if at all possible, plunge your hands into the dirt. Start small if you want. An herb in your windowsill. A little pepper plant in a pot. See if you don't feel some draw to it. Some satisfaction in tending the earth. And some benefit to giving your energies to the ground and receiving energy from the same. And I hope you'll do so with fresh thanks on your tongue for the wonder of the earth which God has gifted to us. It's a beautiful cycle when we participate in it as we were meant to do.

On September 15th 2013 University Park kicked off the year with with a little SPLISH and a big SPLASH in A Court where we host the end of summer bash. There were chairs out for speed racing, a giant bounce house, a long slip and slide, lights, and snack including popcorn, shaved ice, and lemonade. It was totally a party that we will remember as the milestone of our year together in University Park. 

As this next semester is beginning, there are so many awesome, creative, and fun community events all over campus - no matter what living area you are at!  Stay tuned...