I done a permaculture design course 8 years ago in Ireland and it really stirred up this deep inner knowing . It was as though this light switched on inside of me, a light that had laid dormant and now had finally come to life again. Everything I learnt made complete sense and I felt like I was returning home.

I had always looked to nature to teach me, to show me the way, this was nothing new. But the skills I learnt, the new ways in which to look and observe, they inspired in me and light a fire within me. Permaculture is about solutions, it is about focusing on what we can do now in this moment, in our present situation to improve our lives, the lives of our community and the planet as a whole.

It asks us to look at the natural ecosystems within the world and use them as a model for our own habitats, for our own lives. Natural ecosystems are fully sustainable, are interactive and produce no waste, when we spend time in nature, observing and learning, we than gain a greater knowledge about how we can become more sustainable. But even more than that, we learn how how we can improve our relationship with the earth. How we can be of service to her.

One of the most important lessons I learnt, was to spend time observing your environment, so that you can make informed choices that really benefit the land and allow you to always use that which is available to you. To work with what is already present. With the idea to really preserve and enhance what is already there .

The same goes for our own lives, how often do we take the time to really sit with ourselves and observe what is happening in our lives. How often do we make time for ourselves, to really reflect. To really embrace who we are and the journey that has gotten us to where we are now. What lessons have we learnt, what will we carry forward and what can we let go off.

I remember during the course realizing how relevant the permaculture principles are to our own lives and not just to the environment we live in and it was then that I realized that this, is what it is all about. Making that connection between the land and us and our communities. We learn so much when we take the time to sit with those around us, when we learn the value in embracing people for who they are.

By observing others, we allow ourselves to really see them for who they are. How often have we made assumptions about someone based on just one experience. So quick to pass judgement. Yet each day we are different, each day we change as we react to our environment, just as everything in nature does. We need to take the time to connect with others.

However the fast pace of our lives means that although we do still look at things, we don't always see. Because we simply do not take the time to see.

We need to make the time to relearn how to see again and permaculture really urges us to become better observers, it urges us to really see. This is one of the many reasons why I choose to live a permaculture life and over the next few days I will write about how the different principles have helped me to reconnect with myself and also helped to enrich my life. For now I must go be with my girls and observe and learn from them.

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