On Saturday, the entire Park Fellows first and second year class got together for our first of two annual days of service. The activity took place at Compos Mentis, a nonprofit farm that offers programming for people with mental health issues, about 15 minutes northwest of downtown Ithaca.
I was excited going in, just for the rare opportunity to be outdoors (too many of my recent days involve spending just about every daylight hour inside Sage Hall). And we were extremely lucky to have a beautiful early fall day. The temperature was about 70 degrees, with scattered clouds.
The farm, we were told, was in desperate need of some hands to weed around the abundant crops it produced, as well as help clearing out and cleaning an old garage that will soon be converted into either a kitchen or workspace. The chicken coop also needed a solid going-over.
I opted first for the weeding. It was a nice change to get down on my knees and really dig in the dirt and not worry about anything related to school. In the course of the day, I also sweeped out the old garage and managed to avoid the chicken coop.
We also got the opportunity to taste broccoli, carrots, beans, tomatoes, brussels sprouts, and other vegetables right off the plants.
After the day was done, I took a few tomatoes, which were generously offered to us by the folks at the farm, and ate them with the fresh basil (also grown on the farm) and some olive oil. It was a good way to celebrate the day, which was the first time in a good long while that I had gotten outside myself to do something just for others.
On another note, for those who read my last post about the Net Impact Conference, I have decided to go. I'm glad I made the decision finally and am excited about the opportunity to meet and network with lots of new people in Nashville next month.
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