How are you? How is your week going? I know for myself, it’s been quite hectic. But just remember (perhaps bittersweetly) - we are so close!
This week, I would like to focus on nourishment and what that looks and feels like to each of us. In verb form, ‘nourish’ is defined as “to sustain with food or nutriment; supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth” (dictionary.com). I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and this weekend I attended a retreat on healing where, sure enough, one of the themes that kept coming up was nourishment.
But what does nourishment really entail? In today’s world, I’ve found that “taking care of yourself” is often pushed on us as materialistic and individualistic. Often times, it also only encompasses certain facets of well-being, particularly the physical. See, for example, this John Hopkins quiz to test how well you are taking care of yourself: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/johns_hopkins_bayview/_docs/community_services/called-to-care/how-well-do-you-take-care-yourself-assessment.pdf.
But, just as this retreat reminded me, my well-being is often so interconnected with my communities. So, in addition to thinking about how we individually care for ourselves, I would like us to consider how nourishment and community go hand in hand. Because really, we have all received some sort of guidance from other people in order to get us to this point in life.
When we think about our food community, however, who comes to mind? For me, my gut reaction is to think about the folks who I regularly eat meals with or loved ones who have taught me about food. Rarely do I think about the individuals whose hard work went into growing and harvesting my food, usually because I do not know who they are, particularly if I buy something from the grocery store. How do we conceptualize our food communities? And who in those broader systems is doing the labor of nourishment and who gets nourished in return? I am thinking, in particular, of migrant farmworkers, whose labor the industrial agricultural system relies on to exploit. Before getting into this more, I’d like to acknowledge that this can be a heavy topic and (in line with today’s theme), it is important to take care of ourselves and each other. So please care for yourselves as you need and let me know if there’s anything I can do to facilitate our class more comfortably.
In his ethnography Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies, physician and cultural/medical anthropologist Seth Holmes shares about the five years he spent with Triqui migrant farmworkers. His focus is on health disparities in particular and the ways that marginalization and racism feed into those disparities (I would recommend giving it a read if you haven’t already and are interested in these topics). For Wednesday, please read this interview with Holmes: https://gastronomica.org/2014/05/05/fresh-fruit-broken-bodies-interview-seth-holmes/. I’ve also included a radio interview with him, in which he explains his process in more detail: https://archive.org/details/RagRadio2013-10-11-SethHolmes. It is close to an hour so don’t worry if you aren’t able to listen to the whole episode, but if you have time I’d encourage you to at least listen to part, since his process is quite interesting.
I hope this provides you all with some interesting themes to reflect on before Wednesday! Here are some questions…
1. What does nourishment feel like to you? What different realms does that include (physical, emotional, spiritual, whatever it may be)?
2. What/who comes to mind when you think of that which nourishes you? And who do you nourish in return?
3. What do you see as the connection between community and nourishment? Has there been a connection between the two in your own life?
4. Does thinking about the labor involved in creating your food change your conception of nourishment and community?
1. When I think of nourishment often what comes to mind is the the actions I take to have both a healthy state of mind and a happy body. I think of nourishment more as concrete or physical rather than in a more emotional or spiritual way.
ReplyDelete2. Food really is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of what nourishes me. I attempt to keep a well balanced diet and reduce any "unhealthy" eating, while certain foods which may not meet my criteria for what is healthy do in fact nourish me in a more emotional way (e.g. chocolate croissants and mochas). While when I think of who I nourish I would say that I nourish the people I love in my life on a emotional level through providing support and comfort to them.
3. In my opinion community and nourishment go hand in hand together. I think its a communities responsibility to nourish the members who are unable to nourish themselves. For example, a community can offer assistance to those who are food insecure by providing assistance to apply for food stamps, transportation, or just food in general (food pantry). I think mental health assistance is also necessary. While working at KCMHSAS many of our recipients were suffering from some form of mental health disorder. We offered weekly group therapy sessions and medication to those in need which I believe was very helpful in "nourishing" their mental health.
4. I think it puts into perspective the importance of how we nourish ourselves and which foods actually negatively impact the farm workers who handle the food we eat. Many farm workers often have below standard living conditions and are not adequately paid for their labor (living wage or just not paid in full) which really says a lot about how the consumer is gaining nourishment off the labor of others, such as how a plant uses energy to grow which is then just cut down and used by humans to nourish themselves.
1. Nourishment to me has recently taken the form of both emotional and physical health. I think if I was asked this question two years ago, I would have provided a definition that similar to the dictionary.com definition, I related it to food and getting the necessary nutrients for a “health” lifestyle as defined by some overarching governing body. However, now I know there are so many more components. I really value my mental care and strive to positively fuel that part of myself. Self-care is good and important.
ReplyDelete2. Immediately I think of my dogs, my family and friends, and being in nature. Surrounding yourself with things that positively fuel you is a learning process and is constantly changing but in the moment I think we know when we are being nourished. I hope I am able to nourish all of those beings in return.
3. I think communities can be a source of nourishment and vice versa, but it is dependent on the community and the individual. Personally, I do not think I have ever experienced community as a strong source of nourishment. I feel as though I always find myself making connections with individuals within that community rather than the community as a whole. However, I have seen how important community can be for my parents who live fulltime up north where people are far apart and cultivating those relationships are so important. My relationship with the Kalamazoo College community is complicated to say the least. As I said in Tony’s blog, I have experienced some wonderful things and some truly awful things. I am thankful for what this community has taught me, but I am still navigating what my relationship with the community is now and what it will be after graduation.
4. For me, it motivates me to buy more products locally as well as learn to sustain myself in some ways. It has made me more aware of how to nourish the planet as well as empower communities. With that, I think that local, organic farming inherently nourishes the earth and our communities. We have seen the negative effects of industrial agriculture and how it benefits a few individuals by taking advantage of the earth and other people along the way.
How are you? How is your week going?
ReplyDeleteToday I walked around my neighborhood and did some exploring/ saw some things I had never seen before so that was cool. Those big pink trees, I am not quite sure what they are called, are just blowing my mind with their pretty pink scents and soft large petals.
Side note, wow, the John Hospkin’s “How Well Do You Take Care of Yourself?” really just dragged me. Like seriously, I guess I did not consider the things I was doing to my body to be necessarily harmful but when I saw how they all added up it made me quite sad. Though the language was not discouraging it was a bit of a reality check that the way I treat my body and the stress I am putting it through is not normal. “You are doing a poor job of taking care of yourself and are at moderately high risk for personal health problems.” WORD. I will do better. Or try… one step at a time?
1. What does nourishment feel like to you? What different realms does that include (physical, emotional, spiritual, whatever it may be)?
To me, nourishment is a physical manifestation of what my body feels like an hour after I have eaten a meal. Sometimes, I eat foods that make me feel more hollow than I was before I ate them. I am eating them because I have limited options, I guess. Though, nourishment also comes in another form… the emotional satisfaction of eating a meal with people where we have all collaborated in some potluck style feast. Those smörgåsbords of random foods from multiple cultures/ traditions tend to be my favorite!
2. What/who comes to mind when you think of that which nourishes you? And who do you nourish in return?
This question right here harkins back to when Robin Wall Kimmerer said “Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.” My best friend Dana nourishes me through our fruitful and silly conversations that can go from soul searching together to giggling. I guess laughter nourishes me. I good day of laughing and I am left feeling exhausted and sore in the cheeks from all the humor we share together. I guess this is one way that the webster dictionary definition does it as laughing with best friend is necessary for “life, health, and growth.”
3. What do you see as the connection between community and nourishment? Has there been a connection between the two in your own life?
These questions are really making me think about the ways in which nourishment DOES NOT have to be surrounding only food. I find now that I will probably think about this word differently. Anyways, community is important to me. I feel a sense of community at K when I see friends sitting in different parts of campus and knowing that it would be fine if I went up and sat and chatted and played in the sun with them? I guess the small campus, though at some times suffocating and isolating… can also be a site of nourishment and an overwhelming sense of community!
4. Does thinking about the labor involved in creating your food change your conception of nourishment and community?
Yes! It is so challenging to think about the farm and manufacturing labor that goes into the food I eat! I have been on the farming side of things and it is not easy to make sure all lines of the production run smoothly. Farmers who sell things to markets, in wholesale, or to grocery stores are really, really stressed. I guess it makes me nervous to think about the future of food.
1) To me, nourishment feels nostalgic, like a part of childhood. I think that's because nourishing meals just have a specific taste about them that reminds me of my mom's homecooked meals. I'm not sure why, but maybe it has something to do with fresh ingredients or cooking from scratch.
ReplyDelete2) In line with my answer to question 1, I tend to think of whole foods like fresh produce and unprocessed grains as nourishing me. That probably has a lot to do with my mostly-plant-based diet, especially considering how I have felt better since incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my diet. I also remember hearing somewhere that if you eat things you like, you're more likely to absorb more nutrients from them, but I don't have a reference for that to fact check it. I just find that idea intriguing and I'd like to believe it. As I've been eating more fresh produce and unprocessed foods, I have found that my tastes are changing to match that, so that's pretty interesting.
3) Ever since elementary school, it has been drilled into me that nourishment is something that is individual. That if you're unhealthy, it is a personal failing and a stain on your moral character. That with the right amount of commitment, you can make yourself healthy. All of this is very individualistic, and even though I have known for a while that it does not reflect the reality of nutrition and health in society, I still have trouble thinking of my own nutrition in a community sense. The easiest example I can think of is family, of eating together as a family unit and sharing the same food. Even at larger extended family gatherings, my mom's sisters will sometimes bring dishes that I recognize from my mom's cooking that they ate together as children or learned from their grandmother or shared recipes for. When I came out to my mom as vegetarian, it was soon after she went into remission from breast cancer. I was worried she would be upset, but instead she responded with "Good, now you can help me eat healthier!"
4) While it's pretty easy to consider the effects of nourishment within familial communities, it is easy to forget about the wider community between producers and consumers. With most food we buy lined up neatly in supermarkets all trimmed and clean, it is so easy to forget about the labor that goes into producing the food. Quite often, I don't know the story of the food I am buying, and that willingness to remain ignorant helps potentially perpetuate unsafe and unfair work conditions for laborers in the food system.
1. For me, nourishment and my happiness are inextricably linked. I am happiest when I feel as though what I am eating is responsibly derived and highly nutritious. In addition to sustaining and further fueling my body, foods that fit these criteria contribute positively to my overall mental health. That being said, I prioritize nourishing my soul, which means choosing and enjoying whatever foods are going to make me happy in that moment...sometimes that's chocolate cake or french fries...
ReplyDelete2. My mother immediately comes to mind because in addition to cooking delicious, innovative, objectively healthy meals for me, we always connect over them. In talking about our meals, we generate enthusiasm, appreciation, and an excitement to keep cooking and eating together. She has taught me the majority of what I know and practice in terms of being connected to my nourishment. I think I feed her love of food and cooking by giving what she has prepared my love and attention.
3. I feel like one of the main connections between community and true nourishment of mind and body is mindfulness. I think that growing, cooking, eating, etc. can be deeply enjoyable in a community because of the collectivity and reciprocity ideally involved in nourishing ourselves together. This has played out as I cook with my mom, but I wish I came from a bigger family with a tradition of cooking and gardening together. I think it could have really enhanced my spiritual and familial ties to food in important ways.
4. I think considering the labor of others that is inherently involved in the majority of my nourishment definitely changes my conception of not only nourishment and community, but also the quality of the nourishment itself. Though I know about the oppression and injustice involved in farm work, it is not present in my mind every single time I sit for a meal. I think I have the natural tendency to think of the community involvement as occurring once ingredients are assembled and a meal is begun, rather than at the moment those ingredients start growing. If I was more constantly conscious of this reality, I think I would fail to find much of my food to be truly nourishing, and it would exist instead as a necessary evil and constant reminder of my monetary support of unhealthy "community" that does not nourish all its members in any way equally. So, I am trying to be find the balance of being more aware and still attempting to enjoy that food that sometimes I have to buy out of necessity because I really do not have enough money right now to always purchase the most responsible nourishment.
1. What does nourishment feel like to you? What different realms does that include (physical, emotional, spiritual, whatever it may be)?
ReplyDeleteI feel as though we all strive, in our lives, to feel full.
This can take a number of forms-- when you feel hungry, you eat. When you feel spiritually lost, you try to find a way to be whole again. Whatever the form and whatever the method, we achieve this sense of fullness through nourishing ourselves with what we can.
2. What/who comes to mind when you think of that which nourishes you? And who do you nourish in return?
I think of my family, friends. I think of good books. I think of soft blankets. I think of ice cream and cheetos and hot cocoa. I think of homemade meals. I think of crunchy leaves and laughing children.
I think these thing nourish me.
It's more difficult to measure your impact on other people.
I think I nourish people through listening. Through laughing, through crying.
I think I nourish the land by walking on it. Telling stories about her and to her.
This is difficult to answer.
3. What do you see as the connection between community and nourishment? Has there been a connection between the two in your own life?
The connection that I see existing is that the community always finds a way to nourish you. Speaking in terms of literal nourishment, communities I belong to or I have found myself in are always giving, feeding you, etc. Anytime my family gets together you have to find some way to contribute, you have to give yourself so that everyone gets fed and feels good. There's a reciprocity. Every time you enter a community, interact with yours, you must nourish as much as you are nourished.
4. Does thinking about the labor involved in creating your food change your conception of nourishment and community?
It certainly does. It kind of taints it, you know what I mean? How can I feel full when someone connected to me, though a fruit or other food item, can't as a result of violent systems that shape our relationship. Can any of us feel nourished or full after understanding the nature of that relationship?
I think nourishment means to me a place of belonging and comfort. Whether physically, emotionally, or whatever it might be, nourishment means to take care of myself in such a way that I feel home.
ReplyDeleteI especially think of my mother when I think of nourishment….yes, I’m a proud mama’s boy. I am very fortunate to have a mother that selflessly loves and always looks after me. I owe her a lot. I really am grateful for her. I try my best to do the best that I can in everything, showing my love and appreciation for her through my actions.
I do think there is an intrinsic connection between community and nourishment. More often or not, we are a reflection of our immediate surrounding. Our characters are developed and nourished through those around us, interacted by our community.
Yes. I do think we often overlook the labor behind our conception of nourishment and community. I immediately think of how easily it is sometimes we take things for granted. For instance, I never thought of the amount of energy and time my mother puts into raising her children until I left for college. This is also applicable on a community level where we do not always give thanks to the labor that goes into cultivating our food.
1. What does nourishment feel like to you? What different realms does that include (physical, emotional, spiritual, whatever it may be)?
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of nourishment I think of contentment. The sense of peace that a belly filled with healthy, or loving conversation with friends comes with. I think that nourishment encompasses many realms but within these realms it implies a level of quality. Not all food makes me feel nourished (or potentially as nourished as another food), not all conversation, not all relationships etc.
2. What/who comes to mind when you think of that which nourishes you? And who do you nourish in return?
I think of my family, and my friends who are like family. The people who feed me, listen to me, touch me, essentially love me. I nourish them in return through similar means, I feel like love like that should always be reciprocal. With reciprocity in mind the person I think of the most is my mom because I recognize that I have not nourished her in the ways or with the intensity with which she has nourished me. I also recognize I will probably never be able to... #MomsAreHeros
3. What do you see as the connection between community and nourishment? Has there been a connection between the two in your own life?
Absolutely. I think the two are incredibly connected. How you are nourished and in turn how you nourish your community. There is that common phrase child rearing 'it takes a village'. I think of that when thinking about nourishment in my own life. I grew up with an non-traditionally large amount of parental figures in my life (like a lot y'all). These people were directly involved in my nourishment as a child and we created community around ourselves. When I reached college my friends and I also really relied on each other and creating a healthy community away from home where we could emotionally nourish one another.
4. Does thinking about the labor involved in creating your food change your conception of nourishment and community?
Yes it does. I think that when the labor used to produce our food is being exploited in the way that it is, it is impossible to have a nourishing community. While the physical needs of our community are being fulfilled spiritually we are dying. How can we be spiritually nourished when our gains are contingent on the abuse of our community members?
1. Nourishment comes from many sources, but typically when I think about it, I think physical nourishment from food to energize and allow me to continue to function.
ReplyDelete2. Food is primarily what I think of, and specifically healthier food. However, I also think of comfort foods or my favorite foods (like hamburgers, ice cream, etc). I know that in excess these foods don't end up nourishing me as well as healthier foods like fruits and veggies. Who do I nourish...good question! I think in many ways I think I nourish some people more than I actually do, while there are many people that I actually help contribute to their nourishment more than I may realize (if that makes sense...interesting to use the word "nourish" in so many different ways!).
3. When I think of community nourishment I think of potlucks--when a community of people all prepare food and all eat together--laughing, catching up, and telling stories (which I feel are key parts that lead to a community of nourishing beyond the physical).
4. Thinking about the labor reminds me that I am not personally responsible for my food. It's easy to think "I earned this," when in reality it is only because of others that I am actually able to eat.
1. Nourishment for me is profoundly connected to the earth and being on the earth, eating from the earth, and being in communion with the earth. And it's also connected to my sense of spirit and spirituality. And to creativity.
ReplyDelete2. The soil, the sky, the rain, the plants and animals that I live with and near. I hope that my life nourishes them as well.
3. For me part of the connection is realizing that nourishment, by nature, comes from my engagement with other beings, whether I'm eating them or interacting with them. Just as I cannot sustain my own body by eating myself, I can't sustain my soul without communion with my community--and that community includes humans, non-humans, and spirit.
4. It does. It adds a bittersweet quality to nourishment when I know that my nourishment comes at the expense of others. And it adds a sense of responsibility to use the strength I gain from that nourishment to live in such a way that alleviates the suffering of others.
"Nourish" is a verb with deeper meaning than "feed". Part of the greater appeal or beauty that this word has is that it seems to have something of a holistic connotation, implying multiple kinds of sustenance, physical, mental, and more. Beyond sustenance, it also implies growth. It really does have something of a caretaking frame-of-mind in its meaning and usage: it implies a deeper connection, or maybe a deeper relationship, than similar words.
ReplyDelete1. What does nourishment feel like to you? What different realms does that include (physical, emotional, spiritual, whatever it may be)?
ReplyDeleteNourishment to be is more about the time and love that goes into making that food. I think of all the bad food I made my mom that she said thank you to because she knew I made it with love. Sharing for me is a big part of nourishment. I can’t imagine saying no to sharing food. Physically it means a lot of grains and legumes and appetizers cause I live for good molcajete salsas
2. What/who comes to mind when you think of that which nourishes you? And who do you nourish in return?
For me, my mom and dad come to mind in regards to nourishing me because they were really concerned with my diet when I came to college cause they knew I would have food, just not made with the same love and nutrients. Now that I’m in college, I think about the times my housemates make me food or I make them food because we notice when we are having a bad day/time. Or when my partner brings me food he makes because he knows I’ll eat air instead of food when I’m overwhelmed with work.
3. What do you see as the connection between community and nourishment? Has there been a connection between the two in your own life?
When I think of nourishment and community I think of my community back home and how selfless we are because the majority of us have little. I think about how when the holidays roll over, my parents make a lot of food and then distribute it among our neighbors and they give us food too that they make for the holidays. It always warms my heart to know that my neighbors are also my family and it reminds me about how having a warm, home-cooked meal is an act of love from whoever that comes from.
4. Does thinking about the labor involved in creating your food change your conception of nourishment and community?
Yes, because I personally find it very difficult to consume food that is cultivated in inflicting violence onto particular bodies/communities.
1. What does nourishment feel like to you? What different realms does that include (physical, emotional, spiritual, whatever it may be)?
ReplyDeleteTo me, nourishment is a feeling of groundedness. It includes a good night of sleep, freshly made food, good conversation, belly laughs, physical activity, and much more. It is rare that I can make all these things happen in a single day, especially while here at K.
2. What/who comes to mind when you think of that which nourishes you? And who do you nourish in return?
So much comes to mind. It is a matter of scale. I think when I am asked this question I am compelled to recognize the land and beings from which my food comes. There is no doubt that these beings nourish me. Yet, in an everyday setting I see myself being nourished by my friends and family. Beyond the food that they prepare for me, I prepare for them, and the food we share, my loved ones nourish me mentally and emotionally. I do my very best to provide them with the same. I think about the difference between myself eating alone and the times that I eat in community. The food is better and I feel more whole afterwards, I know that I have taken care of many aspects of my wellbeing.
3. What do you see as the connection between community and nourishment? Has there been a connection between the two in your own life?
The relationship that I see between community and nourishment is fundamentally reciprocal. It is both giving and taking. Community provides food, love, support, motivation, and I try to do the same in return. The communities that I have belonged to have always felt collaborative and cooperative in our collective nourishment.
4. Does thinking about the labor involved in creating your food change your conception of nourishment and community?
I think, unless you or a loved one is involved in food production, it can be something that is easily overlooked, but incredibly important to consider. It is easy to walk through a grocery store and disconnect the food surrounding you from its source and the labor that went into its creation. I think I sometimes struggle with what it means for me and my food choices. I think about what it would mean to expand my definition of community to include those who produced my food and how this would change consumption or shift my understanding of the reciprocal nature of community nourishment.
1. Apart from eating whole, fresh foods, nourishment for me is about a strong community of support; one that also puts energy into learning from and with each other, holding each other accountable, and building a shared world together in which we can all give and get the nourishment needed.
ReplyDelete2. My family and friends nourish me constantly through shared work, trust, practicing accountability, learning from and with each other, and sharing activities, things, and time. Also, I feel nourished by music - especially with communities like those mentioned previously - and by working towards shared goals - though and with all of the challenges inherent to that.
3. I believe that a community, a strong, vulnerable, and powerful community is created and sustained through mutual/reciprocal nourishment. The communities that have fallen apart or away in my life have been those which did not put time and energy and commitment into nourishing itself and each other while those that have lasted were built on things like trust, accountability, consent; all things that can nourish.
4. Yes it does. To think about the food that nourished me and/or that is used as a tool for community building as coming through channels placed by violence and injustice (for people, animals, and the earth) changes the perspective quite a bit. I think that part of building community with nourishment in mind needs to be about working for systemic changes that could change the ways though which we get our food and nourishment as to create new ways which are not built on exploitation and the denial of the very same nourishments we rely on them for ourselves.
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ReplyDelete1. The first idea I thought of was how different a meal is when it is made by my mother- I mean it could be all the same ingredients and prepared in the same way but for some reason it just wouldn’t nourish me the same way as if I were to do it myself- and that case I would only feel fed. Even so, every now and then I catch glimpses of my own cooking that leaves me feeling completely satisfied- like my body has just sucked up every last bit of good nutrients in the food and turned it into this warm energy within me. It’s usually when I make a very intentional meal- for example, one I’ve spent hours making/planning for, or one where I just went to the grocery store again because it wouldn’t have been the same without these last few ingredients. And then atmosphere of who/where I’m eating the meal with is very important to how I feel as well.
ReplyDelete2. Definitely my family members. I think I nourish in return but not in the same way. Laughter, for me, is very nourishing. If I feel like I can make someone laugh I feel like I’ve done something right.
3.There is definitely a connection between community and nourishment- but then again, I think there’s a connection between community and everything. Most all humans just want to feel belonged so I think it’s very inherent to our biological mechanisms to seek communities or kin. And then nourishment is so difficult to obtain without a sense of feeling somewhat whole, right? One point I think is interesting is that I feel most nourished in my communities where I know I’m giving back as much as I’m taking- there’s sort of this underlying equity rule.
4. As I mentioned in one of my last blog posts, I feel relatively informed about the issues in migrant labor compared to many other U.S. citizens. This interview definitely struck a chord with me. Especially the quote, “I see a sort of transaction in which one group of people work so hard to provide healthy fresh fruit and vegetables to another group of people, that they give up their own health.” Because at the end of the day it’s really really true. There were a lot of workers that didn’t know how to access food stamps as well as many who could only rely on food that wasn’t fresh since they never knew when their next grocery store opportunity would come. Although I think to a certain extent many people don’t realize that while migrant workers are very much not considered part of our community, many times they come with their own and in that sense they are capable of nourishing each other to the best of their abilities.
1)Nourishment to me feels mindful and acknowledges the varying levels of need and the temporality of needs. I think of nourishment as cntentedness or being okay and balanced. The way we nourish ourselves is very contextual and I think that being nourished is about being healthy and feeing it too, a mix of ones own understanding adn some western or other persepective that backs that up.
ReplyDelete2)I think a lot about my mom and my friends who have bee reciprocal in our relationships. I think of my mom because she consistently worked to not only feed us but to give us life and joy and sustainability. I think of my friendships that are recprocal becuase they arent always that way which can leave me feeling unnourished and not okay. These relationships however nourish me emotionally mentally and spirtually, going beyond my physical body and make sure to remind me that my being is more than physicality and that it needs nourishment too.
3) I see them as being one and the same. Everythng we do impacts everyone else from the systems of food to the way we use our rhetoric. What goes around comes back around and in a multitude of ways. I think of the nourishmenet that comes along with feeding people in every way possible and how sometimes what we are feeding them is toxic. How do we learn from that too? How do we change or make up for it later? They ar einextricably intertwined and community is fueled by nourishment whle the need to nourish is the foundation of community.
4.) To me it doesnt really change it as I already consider everyone a part of my community and therefore a part of my responsibility and a part of my duty. However it does change and check me when dont do the most active things to get to know people who make my food or do not do anything tht could help them. Am I being reciprocal? Am I feeding them toxicity? How do I change?