Closing the Loop
Today I am grateful for our kitchen and the meals we prepare there. I am also grateful for iced coffee and conversation with a friend.
Our college tours took us on a big loop and covered nearly 1200 miles. From Ames, Iowa to Manhattan, Kansas. From Manhattan to Lincoln, Nebraska, then returning home via I-80 and I-35. We closed the loop near Des Moines, Iowa and had a more familiar stretch the last 200 miles or so.
Traveling hundreds of miles and spending four nights in three different hotels can be exhausting, and even with loved ones we start to tire of one another and close quarters. But we hung in there pretty well and I do appreciate that we gave each other the space we needed when we needed it.
Closing the loop and returning home was welcome, as was the gratitude for smooth travels. Closing the loop can refer to communication, or to achieving a goal. It also refers to our food supply in ways.
I appreciated seeing this as we toured one of the agriculture buildings at Kansas State:
It brought a smile and a quick photo opp, but as I thought about it I realized how so many of us, me included, take our food supply for granted. Growing up on a farm, I witnessed and experienced the process of raising crops and animals. Many don't have that as part of their story.
Still, we can all pause and give thanks for the efforts of those who helped to close this food production loop and bring today's breakfast to our table. Many of us have refrigerators and pantries that offer us a wide selection of healthy choices. We also have money and a vehicle to take to the store for more if we need.
Today's food loop has problems too. There are unhealthy options and too much preserving and packaging. There are concerns for our food safety, having enough water, and the sustainability of the soil. There are people starving to death each day around the world.
My hope is that today's agronomists and those of tomorrow, like our son Sam, will be among those helping feed the world nutritious food with practices that maintain our natural resources.
Yes, this loop needs help, but it is an incredible loop nonetheless. If you haven't stopped to say thanks for it lately, today would be a good day.
Our college tours took us on a big loop and covered nearly 1200 miles. From Ames, Iowa to Manhattan, Kansas. From Manhattan to Lincoln, Nebraska, then returning home via I-80 and I-35. We closed the loop near Des Moines, Iowa and had a more familiar stretch the last 200 miles or so.
Traveling hundreds of miles and spending four nights in three different hotels can be exhausting, and even with loved ones we start to tire of one another and close quarters. But we hung in there pretty well and I do appreciate that we gave each other the space we needed when we needed it.
Closing the loop and returning home was welcome, as was the gratitude for smooth travels. Closing the loop can refer to communication, or to achieving a goal. It also refers to our food supply in ways.
I appreciated seeing this as we toured one of the agriculture buildings at Kansas State:
It brought a smile and a quick photo opp, but as I thought about it I realized how so many of us, me included, take our food supply for granted. Growing up on a farm, I witnessed and experienced the process of raising crops and animals. Many don't have that as part of their story.
Still, we can all pause and give thanks for the efforts of those who helped to close this food production loop and bring today's breakfast to our table. Many of us have refrigerators and pantries that offer us a wide selection of healthy choices. We also have money and a vehicle to take to the store for more if we need.
Today's food loop has problems too. There are unhealthy options and too much preserving and packaging. There are concerns for our food safety, having enough water, and the sustainability of the soil. There are people starving to death each day around the world.
My hope is that today's agronomists and those of tomorrow, like our son Sam, will be among those helping feed the world nutritious food with practices that maintain our natural resources.
Yes, this loop needs help, but it is an incredible loop nonetheless. If you haven't stopped to say thanks for it lately, today would be a good day.
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