A week ago an active permaculturalist made contact via a Facebook page I admin. He was on my side of Australia for a few days work and time poor but wanting to meet gardeners in my city. The hotel where he was staying was near my home, so I knew I could give him a tour of a few community gardens on way to my daughter's dance class and not be out of pocket or stressed with time. And not only that - but also... I was able drop him off at the airport on my way home again as it was only a few minutes detour and fitted perfectly with my family's schedule and his flight.
When I picked him up he loaded his minimal baggage into the car and gifted his food items that he was unable to take home. He like many other permaculturalist, does not like food waste as the production and transport of food is a burden on our environment. We all have a responsibility to purchase carefully and keep our waste to a minimum. So he asked me to bring an esky to our meeting place. He filled it with abundant food items. Cheese, butter, yoghurt, bread, cereals, honey, sun dried tomatoes, ice cream, organic soup, dip, olives and more.
I was grateful for the gifts. The gardens were in my line of travel for the day and it was a pleasurable activity to showcase what we grow in the tropics and introduce some of our city's main players in garden activism. He was not new to this world so was reintroduced to people he had already met over the years at workshops and conferences in various parts of Australia.
It was a fun morning acting as tour guide and talking about growing food. And I was rewarded with a new inspiring gardening contact and delicious food items to feast on latter. It was a win for both of us and of course for Dolly, who was able to run around in the gardens showing her skills by talking about plants and animals that she knows well.
What about you? Do you shy away from meeting new people or do you eagerly take up opportunities to meet those that may add to your life experiences?
In sweetness,
Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.
As a teenager, I hated meeting new people. When I went to University that all changed! You are thrown into Halls of Residence with a lot of people you don't know, so you learn quickly how to get to know people.
ReplyDeleteAt a conference I went to recently, a colleague actually admired my ability to talk to new people! I was amazed that she said that, but I guess it shows how far I've come! :)
It was rally nice of you to show him round, and nice of him to gift you such lovely treats! Have you seen the film "Yes Man"? It sort of inspired me to say yes to situations like that, where once I would've run away!
Hi Bryallen - Yes Man is a quirky comedy but quite inspiring. I found myself trying to say yes more the day after I watched it :) The more you say yes the more opportunities come around and also for a uni student like you more opportunities to network and find a dream job. It's a world of "who you know".
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful morning for you both. I am not always very comfortable meeting new people, this was confirmed for me at a recent interstate conference. Having said that though, if there are not too many new people to meet at once I can cope better.
ReplyDeleteRhianna, My life has been full of stages. There have been points in my life when I was the centre of attention and then I blushed at everything and kept my mouth closed, to being the party girl again. At the moment I am going through a big mouth period. I hope it lasts for the rest of my life because I like the sound of my voice LOL. You just have to remember no one is better than you and those missed opportunities at meeting people could be a missed opportunity of meeting a new close friend.
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