Holy Cross offers an alternative spring break option called the Spring Break Immersion Program (SBIP). In the fall you can register to participate at one of the four site options: Urban, Sustainability, L’arche, and Appa. Then the co-chairs will place you in a site from those categories. I had the wonderful opportunity to be placed at Sun Moon Farm in Rindge, NH. There I learned about sustainable agriculture, slow-style living, and how to live in community with others.
Initially, I was nervous about what I was about to step into. I had heard only positive reviews about SBIP and why it was something I had to do here at Holy Cross. Except, I knew none of my other group members and had begun feeling like I should have just gone home instead. Then our first day on the farm came around and I fell in love. For context, the farm is part of a community called South of Monadnock. Families and individuals can buy shares of the land to live on and use. Craig Jensen, the co-owner of Sun Moon Farm, believes, “Living with other people in a close, committed relationship is one of the most radical acts of love and peace that we can make in our lives. At [South of Monadnock Community] we are building a community where that sort of commitment isn’t just made to a husband, wife, or child but to our neighbors as well. That is a powerful commitment.”
On our very first night, we were welcomed with open arms into their house as they made us a meal using products from their own garden. They alleviated any uneasiness we had moving forward. The second day came around, on which we went on a hike. We had many questions to ask. Craig willingly opened up to us about life on the farm, his time at Holy Cross, and what it means to live in a community with others. Except, we did not know what this truly meant until we actually began work on the farm.
We were struck with the harsh reality that working on the farm was not going to be easy. After the first day of work, we were physically and mentally exhausted. However, we learned a valuable lesson that day that made the rest of the week much easier: teamwork. This seems simple enough, but we saw it as a way to get work done efficiently and also have fun doing it. Moving forward, we completed all of our tasks as groups, so as to make sure no one had to do anything alone. This is when we began to really understand what it means to live in community with others.
My favorite part of the entire week was during the CSA pickup–the farm is a CSA which means they sell their products locally to encourage customer-to-seller interactions. On this day, 20+ members stopped by the barn to pick up their shares of food–which we had harvested, washed, and packaged ourselves. Upon arrival, they were invited to sit with our group to have tea–although some people brought their own drinks–and talk. I was amazed to see how willing everyone was to sit down for hours just to talk to a bunch of college students whom they had never met. When I asked Craig about the practice of inviting customers to stay, he expressed that his life is not really about farming–although he does love it–it is about making connections with people.
At Holy Cross, it is easy to get caught up in what internships we are applying to, what paper we have to write next, or rigorously plan out our schedules–only to realize that there are not enough hours in the day. At Sun Moon Farm, I found myself realizing that my days felt long and at the end, I would feel a sense of fulfillment. This was due to slowing down, doing each task with meaning, and enjoying the presence of the people I was with. It was never about how many hours I had in my day, but how I chose to spend them.