Catalyst

I will be walking everywhere for a few weeks to make up for the carbon cost of my flying visit to the Catalyst event at Carmarthen at the weekend.  I had been invited to lead a workshop on Iona Worship, which turned into (thankfully) a worship session.  Helped by Craig, Meredith and Louise, the session went well with standing room only!!

I wrote a bit ago about ‘High Rise‘ life, well that reflection turned into a dialogue for this session.

a:    I live the High Rise life, I’ve got the calves to match! 15 floors up does wonders for fitness.

b:    I live in a world of eco-wonder, local produce heaven, fresh eggs, fresh veg, fresh farmyard smells.

a:    My view, 15 floors up? it’s a sea of grey, with the edges tinged green, the fields on the horizon tell a ‘distant’ story.
b:    My view, busy veg garden, animals, chickens, from the top floor we can see a sea of green edged with grey, the town on the horizon, high risers – a ‘distant’ story.

a:    We are the eco-warriors of this grey world, living this far up our fields of grey, tinged with green – the distant dream – know what I mean?  Away from the hustle of the street, the barking dogs, the unseen wind whistles past, this far up you can almost reach out and touch the land around.

b:    We know what it means to save the planet, the country way – slow food forever.

a:    We’re having a one box, microwave meal, tinged with green, the pre-packed salad on the side, window box tomatoes dressing the top, less packaging, less waste, less to carry down.  Less water wasted, no time used up, economical, ecological – for us.

b:    It’s all fresh our supper, takes time to organise however, wash, clean, chickens to the slaughter, veg to steamer takes time and effort to produce all that – i’ll just pop out to get the last few bits.

a:    It’s not all one way traffic up this high, what goes up, must go down, your priorities change, the necessity turns to possibility – the possibility of forgetting what you needed on the first trip out.

b:    You see it’s where you live that matters…

a:    You see it’s not where you live…

b:    …When you live out here the fields are your oysters – well artichokes, potatoes, carrots….

a:    …it’s your attitude to your Place…

b:    …What you make of what you’ve got, we’ve got…

a:    …and we haven’t, not that it makes us less aware of our surroundings, what we share, our common land, our inheritance, we all need that piece of green…

b:    …and some of us need to learn to share it.  How many floors us did you say?

a:    15, but there is a lift!  we walk it though, it reminds us of the struggle some have to get their food.