Nature, Interconnectivity, and Community

Happy Summer Solstice!

So today, I will continue where I left off in talking a bit about Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer. As I mentioned I love this book, but it makes me homesick. Zebulon County in Kentucky and in many respects resembles where I grew up in West Virginia. Deanna Wolfe, one of the main characters, lives on Zebulon Mountain as a Forest Service ranger. Zebulon Mountain, as described through Deanna’s eyes, brings back my memories of Spruce Knob (the highest point in West Virginia) as well as the area I grew up roaming, which I still fondly call, The Cabin.

Kingsolver skillfully weaves together the stories of three separate women, showing that although they are individuals, they are also connected in a variety of ways. She also demonstrates that all life is about interconnectivity, even though humans like to think of themselves as separate.

It is the wonderful descriptions of the nature all around us and her portrayal of interconnectivity and community that draw me to this book time and again. This idea of interconnectivity and community is one that I have been working with over the last several months. I will freely admit that although I believe in the idea of community, it is one that I struggle to implement. However, I think that it is something that many other Americans also have difficulty with so I don’t feel as bad. We are taught to be independent and that in this land of opportunity everyone should be able to pull themselves up by the bootstraps.

First, I don’t think everyone has the same opportunities. Second, what about disasters, catastrophes, and just plain accidents? Things happen. We need each other. As the gas and food prices increase and the layoff looms ever closer, I wonder how my family will survive. I think about how things could be much less expensive if we were able to join forces with some of our larger family. Yet, at the same time, I know how difficult it is for me simply having family visits. I like solitude, quiet time. That is how I recharge myself. I also like to do things my way. Still, there is much I appreciate about being part of a larger community and I know that we didn’t always used to live separated by miles and miles in our individual houses. Maybe I need to adapt, to make some changes.

I imagine the possibility of building one of these little cabins (with solar panels, of course) in our backyard where my in-laws could live. I can see my mother-in-law and me, creating gardens for vegetables used in shared dinners cooked by my husband and her. I can also imagine buying land with my father, maybe somewhere in the North Carolina Smoky Mountains, where we create some sort of shared living arrangement, combining our two families and sharing expenses.

These are some of the things I think about as I reread Prodigal Summer and search for a sustainable life. I hope you will share some of your thoughts.