Paideia: The Backstory

I grew up with a father who could do anything, fix anything, build anything. These were not skills he was “born with.” He began working with his hands, learning to properly build, and do electrical work around the age of seven. By the time I became an adult, I realized there was not a useful skill I could claim. As I spoke to friends my age, I quickly realized many of us did not care to learn skills growing up and some said they were just never taught.

I had never considered what a gift having a life skill could be to us but also those who come after us. The practice of working out what we’re learning not only allows us to get better at that skill, but it gives us a chance to pass down what we learn -successes and failures - to those around us and the next generation.

When my family and I moved to our 4 acre lot, I knew I not only wanted to continue to get better at growing flowers and using medicinal herbs, I wanted the farm to be a place others could hone skills they may desire to have in the homesteading/farming landscape.

Paideia

Paideia is a Greek word that, put simply, means “learning.” This land, our farm, provided us with an opportunity to learn and hand down skills to the next generation. My husband and I wanted to teach our children that working with our hands in whatever capacity is a good skill to have. “Hard work is good work.” And we hoped there would be an opportunity to let others learn new skills too.

After about a year on our farm, I heard a friend of mine talking about her husband’s desire to keep bees. They just did not have the land to do so. Flowers and bees go together in my mind, so I took the opportunity to say I had land he was more than welcome to use. Just two days ago, his bees were brought in.

Community is Necessary

We need each other. There’s so much we can learn in terms of new skills or life lessons from those around us. I would not be able to enter into the flower farming world if it wasn’t for my in-laws, who allowed me to use their land to practice when I had none.

My hope with Paideia Farm is to share my passions with my community and to find ways for others to do the same. I recognize I can only learn and do so much. It is a gift to support others in their endeavors by buying local and talking to them about their loves. It is a gift to give our land to a friend to support a dream. It is a gift to make sure skills are being passed down to the next generation, whether through our farm work or supporting others.