I consider this a great success.

In fact, when I bring friends to visit Earthaven Ecovillage, they’re always amazed at how present, enlivened, and curious the children are.

Children at Earthaven are woven into the daily lives and tasks of the adults around them. And I believe it unlocks an evolutionary knowing in them about how to navigate the grounded stuff of life, such as growing food, caring for others, and making a values-based living.

Here’s Esme talking about her family’s harvest:

I want to grow a garden.
I want to build my own home.
I want to live closer to nature.
I want to eat food from close by.
I want to know more about my bioregion.
I want to be around children who run free.
I want to be immersed in the seasons.
I want to steward a piece of land.
I want to live with my dearest friends.

To that end, I travelled the world. And I visited Earthaven in 2007.

I learned about farming and building and stewarding (among a slew of other things).

And I met my life partner Chris Farmer. By the time I came along, he had already been at Earthaven for more than 10 years. Now we’ve been together over 11 years.

I’m so thrilled to say that I go for walks in the beauty around me every day, I live in a hand built home, I lead a values-based life and have meaningful work, I am deepening into relationships over the long term, I grow food and buy from others around me who grow food.

I’m here to say that you can do this too. Wherever you are. On whatever scale you choose.

If you want to learn more about my life and the village that surrounds me, join my next virtual tour on Wednesday, May 12, from 2-4pm Eastern time. We’ve made the tour affordable and fun!