Writing exercises #4 (feat. your prompts!)
On regenerative farming, cell phone grayscale settings, and various state identities
In a previous post, I asked for (nay, demanded!) writing prompts from you guys for my next writing exercises post and you guys delivered. Thanks to Justin and Patrick for these specific prompts! If you want to give me a prompt for a future post, drop it in the comments of this post (or that previous one), or DM me. As always, I’ll be taking only about thirty minutes to write these, and I don’t look at the prompts before setting the timer. Enjoy!
Prompt #1: “Compare and contrast urban and agrarian life.”
Oh baby! Agrarian life all the way. I’ve always enjoyed visiting cities (I grew up an hour and a half away from NYC) and I still do. I’ve never wanted to live in a big city. I’ve always wanted to settle down in a big house on a big piece of property - not in the middle of nowhere, but certainly out in the country. However, in the last few years I’ve become convinced that farming is the way to go. A huge turning point was when my wife and I read The Independent Farmstead by Shawn and Beth Dougherty. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It’s an overview of how to develop a sustainable, independent, family-size farm via regenerative farming techniques, intensive grazing, water collection & recycling, etc. It made me, for the first time in my life, want that kind of life.
Cities are necessary for certain things (politics, art, commerce) and can be wonderful places. However, it is troubling to me that so much of the population of America lives in and around big cities. I watched a fascinating YouTube video once that went through various historical examples of urbanization and the negative effects that urbanization has on a population’s birthrate. Basically, the more people you cram together in a tight space, the more liberal and degenerate they become, and the fewer babies they have. Not good! So the more people move out of big cities and start farming on small family farms, the better it will be for them, and for society, in my opinion.
Prompt #2: “Peacefulness through ignorance - specifically avoiding noise like the news and social media.”
Okay, I feel called out and I don’t like that! Yes, that certainly applies to me. I really love politics and I love being aware of current events. I go on X quite a bit (side note, you can follow me and St. Luke’s Sketchbook on X and other major platforms!). I almost certainly spend too much time there. In my defense, I don’t use “For you,” I just read the posts from the small handful of people I follow. And I don’t interact with posts all that much. A positive is that whenever I give up social media like during Lent, it’s really hard for a few days and then it’s fine.
One thing a friend suggested recently is to turn on grayscale on on your phone so everything is black and white. Apparently part of a phone’s addictive power is in the color patterns. I kind of like it because it makes everything look hideous and unappealing! I haven’t noticed myself using X less, but I’ve all but stopped watching YouTube videos. They’re basically never edifying, and they’re rarely even useful. They’re just entertaining, and if I want to be entertained, I’d rather just watch a movie. Or read a book (or listen to an audiobook, which I’ve started doing a lot more of). Or just, like, go outside. As I’m writing, I’m sitting outside and it’s a beautiful late-summer evening - warm in the setting sun but with a lovely breeze that will turn to a chill after sundown. Late afternoon is my favorite time of day, when the shadows are long and the sunlight and shadows are most dramatic. Quite the antidote for noise and restlessness!
Prompt #3: “Compare and contrast life on the East Coast, life on the West Coast, and where you live now.”
I love this!
As already mentioned, I grew up near NYC, but in Connecticut. Our parish (and about half of our friends) were in New York, so I always considered myself mostly a Connecticuter (yes, that’s the official demonym for CT) but partly a New Yorker. However, I also have deep roots in California. Both of my parents were born and raised in California, so we would visit both sets of grandparents from time to time. Then I went to college in California, solidifying CA as my secondary state identity. Now I live in Northern Kentucky with my wife and son.
The East Coast is gorgeous and I love it to death. Fall in CT is the most wonderful thing you will ever experience, and hiking in CT has sometimes been a quasi-religious experience for me. The West Coast is also gorgeous and I love it to death. The mountains, beaches, and even deserts of California are simply magnificent. Kentucky is nothing to sneer at, and it’s beautiful in its own way. We live in farm country and the fields are full of zinnias right now.
Obviously the politics of CT and CA are crazy, and I’m very happy to be in KY for that reason. I might theoretically want to settle down in New England, if I could afford it. I never wanted to settle down in CA; the weather is just too uniformly nice all year long. Connecticut is my childhood home and I love it and miss it. California is my second home, and I miss my alma mater deeply (and all my college friends). I really love living in Kentucky, and I’m excited to put down my roots here and make this place home. Fun fact: I do have ancestors from KY. My great-great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Traughber was the last person in my family to be born in KY (1836) until my son. (Side note: I would love to talk about my genealogy here at some point.)
Thanks for reading! Feel free to answer these prompts yourselves in the comments, and don’t forget to give me any new prompts!
Previous post:
