Rustic hands for roosting hens

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Today I awoke to begin work on the Garden of Eden chicken co-creation project. I remembered an old friend and neighbor Gladys, a witty hard working 80-something-year-old. She’s a serious powerhouse of a woman! One day I remarked about her strength and capability. She shot back quickly, “Can’t sit on your rustic hands!” I looked down at her hands in wonder and laughed realizing I’d misheard her in a beautiful way. What she really said was, “Can’t sit on your rusty cans!”

I was in pure admiration of her strong hands and her unwieldy self-attitude. I used to dream of being that kind of woman. Today I know I AM that woman.

It feels marvelous to work with my hands. It feels satisfying to work together to turn inspirations into a realities at The Garden of Eden. To continue our journey as a sustainable eco-community, we envisioned a chicken coop built out of re-purposed materials.

The process has been a beautiful flow. At every moment our reality has shifted: something doesn’t quite fit, we have a difference in opinion, or we have a spark of inspiration to deviate from ideas we hold loosely. We step back and take a breath. We observe ourselves and we communicate consciously with each other. We see the structure in a new light to connect with it at every nail, screw, and staple. This is the best chicken coop I’ve ever built because I really feel it as myself– every idea, pallet, and breath.

As I become self-trusting, my hands become rustic and my inner self resonates capability and clarity. I used to say, “I’m not a builder.” But I am building just as I am growing. Today I helped create something strong within and outside of myself. Tomorrow we welcome 35 hens and one mighty rooster to the garden roost!