Blog 2 (week 1)

Over the past few days, we have been working with Mike and Veronica Walton. They run a non profit organization called Food Depot 2 Health which grows plants and food in urban areas in Cleveland. They are an older couple who run the non profit as well as help run a for profit company called Wake Robin which sells fermented foods such as pickles, kim chi, and escabeche. They are extremely busy people who are constantly running around going from garden to garden and then to their company every single day. After experiencing just a few days in their lives, I give them so much credit because they handle this seemingly stressful lifestyle so well. You would assume that they would be frantic and on edge most of the time because of how much they have to coordinate, organize, and execute; however, they are the most happy, optimistic, easy going people. They are inspiring to me because I feel like I have been negative lately in many aspects of my life. I think I can have a short temper, or I get frustrated easily when in reality, I need to take a step back and really think about what it is I am getting mad about, and if it is necessary to be reacting in that way. Mike and Veronica have told us stories about people stealing certain plants from their garden or stripping the expensive metal siding from the greenhouse to sell - things that would get a business owner upset. Instead, they understand that getting angry will do them no good, and they move on with their lives and focus on replacing the stolen plants or strategies to protect them better. Additionally, they are immensely kind and generous. They have offered to buy us lunch every single day, and when we declined, they still bought us pork buns from the shop down the street. Our mentors have taught me to be more forgiving, generous, and happy, and I'm excited to work with them more.

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