Planting Second Chances with Richard Garcia of Alma Backyard Farms

Transcript auto-generated from the episode audio; formatting has been cleaned up, but wording is verbatim.

Hi, I'm Cynthia Marks, and I head up the Holistic Psychoanalysis Foundation established by my late husband, the wonderful doctor Bernard Bail. Welcome to And now, Love. Today I am happy to have Rich Garcia with us along with his wife. He is one of the two co-founders of Alma Backyard Farms. Their nonprofit entity is doing so many great things for so many different people. The individuals working the farm, those who come for the fabulous organic vegetables, the kids who come for workshops and summer camp all come away knowing they're part of a loving community, and many of them come away knowing more than they did before setting foot on the farm.

By the way, alma means soul in Spanish. So rich, thank you very much for being here. And let's talk about this. Yes. So first of all, I want to know a little bit about you. Were you always pursuing something of this nature? Did you fall into it? I've always been in discernment about what brings me joy, and that discernment has always been a. Something relational. It's always in relationship to someone or something. You know, full disclosure, I'm a believer. I, I believe in a higher power. You were on a path to the seminary for a period of time.

I was on the path towards priesthood. And that in large part was because of one particular example is Father Greg Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries. What about him was intriguing to you? Well, I'll tell you the moment. I was a junior in high school, I attended a local Jesuit high school called Loyola High. In Los Angeles. Los Angeles as a high school junior. The worries that that exist are things from acne to whether or not you're being paid attention to by, by girls, that sort of thing. It was an all boys high school, but the moment I met and came across Greg Boyle was during mass.

It was a liturgy and it was in celebration of a particular feast day. The feast day was called Our Lady of Guadalupe. There's about a thousand young men in this hall attending mass. And then Greg Boyle proclaim the gospel. And and in that scripture passage, I felt as if those words were directed to me, as if no one else was in the room. And it's it's this. I'm paraphrasing the passage, but it goes something like a voice pierced through the clouds and said, you are my beloved son. I remember my heart racing at that moment as if, you know, I kind of looked around wondering like what is going on?

Because I felt as if those words were spoken to me. And then he he talks about his stories of working with young men and women, hoping to redirect their lives and leave the gang lifestyle behind, or how he's intervened in their lives. That left an impression on me, where I said to myself, I'd like to be like him one day. And so that was a kind of an eye opening moment that led to, of course, what we do today because it's I think whether it's homeboy Industries, it has numerous enterprises like a silk screen, a cafe, a bakery. We all my backyard farms has urban agriculture as its vehicle to arrive at that destination of feeling beloved.

So I think my personal experience of having felt this reality of I'm a beloved son is something we hope to radiate out through urban agriculture. So that's that's kind of a seed story in regards to how I perked up and thought I could spend the rest of my life doing something. That being held and being loved. And I say this because one, one of the first things to that, that Greg Boyle said, and it's been a mantra of mine and of course, some of this, this faith journey precedes this. But I think I was more cognizant as a 17 year old about what's being spoken in front of me.

He says, we have a God that loves us without measure and without regret. We have a God whose joy it is to love us. And I, I never heard words spoken like that about the higher power, if you will. So that's kind of guided our movement as a farm. So don't really then as a young man, you kind of knew your path was going to have something to do with community and holding people and making a space for people to feel loved and important. I mean, that's just the path you've been on then, it seems. I think so, and I think, you know, my mom told me once as a young boy who grew up in a Filipino household with with the mom of the strict, firm but but also gentle and my mom died in 2022.

Not a day goes by without me thinking about her. But one of the stories she told me as a kid growing up was that I would. The reason why she just kind of like a farming gardening analogy. You cut and you prune and you shape plant. And she said to me that one day you will you will grow into a big tree that can provide shade for a lot of people. So the image of shade also is something that, you know, runs in my mind. And I think the the farm, the space we we've created with the farm is, is sort of like a shade that's created to provide some restoration for people along this journey of life, if you will.

We're just a stop. So for some, you're kind of a resting place in a way where people can feel safe enough to rest. Yeah, to rest and listen. The next step on the path. You came about alma, several years ago before Covid. 2013. So, interestingly enough, the desire to to be a priest like Greg Boyle. I'm not a priest. I'm happily married and a father of two. But but to go back to that for just a minute, that that's what you saw for yourself at one point. Do you mind sharing why you took a fork in the road? I think because it's not so much the destination, but the question that I would pose to myself of how I could be the most loving version of myself.

I. See, and in this case, circumstance and, a real deep dive into listening, if you will lead me to discern that the better version and more loving version of myself is who I am. Outside of the priest. Outside of that. Yeah. I like that. You say, listening. So were you were you listening to what your heart was saying or listening to the people around you? Or, I guess, a combination of all? I think a combination of all. And I think sometimes I think it's so blatantly obvious. You know, what's before us. And in terms of where we ought to be, there's other pressures that.

Steer you away. Steer you away? Yeah. Yeah, I think so, too. And I and a lot of Doctor Bails work, which I know you're not that familiar with, is, is to that point, you know, we all kind of have a path that we're meant to walk. But through the course of our lives, even before we're born, we are delivered this sort of package of uncomfortable stuff that we have to carry along with us. And in a way, you know, that clouds your vision of what your real journey is. And I think, sadly, a lot of us don't get to go on our real journey. And you know, what you're doing here is helping us see that it's fantastic to be able to kind of clear away that and forge this path.

Yeah. And I think it's not even that, you know, there are painful moments, I think, because, you know, especially growing up in the Filipino household. And when you say growing up in a Filipino household, what about that? Is there a certain kind of set of parameters that is typical to a Filipino household? I think generally. So, you know, my mom is a pioneer. She always understood what she did as the first one in her family to to brave North America as a young nurse. It was a big deal because she felt that she was going to create a path for a better life for the rest of her family.

That being said, there is there is a the pressure to succeed and in some cases, success, maybe in the completion of. So if I pursued becoming a physician. The success would be in the completion of those studies and then an eventual career as a physician. Yeah. And in my case it was an initial pursuit of priesthood. So the success would be deemed having completed that and then moved on to ordained ministry. And I think that's the sort of weight that my, my, my mom and dad who would would feel with regards to, you know, they're the first person in their family coming to the States to make something of themselves.

They've got to be successful. You got to be successful. You know, like for the longest time you know we're talking about high school. It felt as if I was just trying to get good grades to make my mom happy. Sure. You know I think that, that that's, that's pretty evident until I came to the realization of learning for the sake of learning. Lucky you. A lot of us don't get there. Yeah. We're so busy trying to perform for our parents. You know, I got to get this a so my dad won't even remember I exist, you know. Right. The whole process of discerning priesthood and and then coming to the realization that I'm going to engage fully in urban agriculture because it's kind of what I've discovered to be, in my DNA, if you will.

That wasn't the prettiest process, because my mother wanted to be very supportive of this. But at the same time, she was kind of upset that that that things didn't go the way she thought they would go. The thing with the Filipino household is the funny obsession with, like, the benefits that work brings you, right? Your employer benefits. The urban farm is kind of an entrepreneurial thing where, yes, we're a nonprofit organization, so we had to essentially beg for money in a way. And in the beginning there was a lot of rejection. It wasn't easy to convey to my mom that this was something I could, I could, I could do that would sustain myself.

So if you, if you look at this from another perspective, it's like my mom works so hard, paved this path. And then to kind of see her child in a situation that she thinks will not sustain him. I think it's concerning. I think it would be for any parent for sure. I can see that connection. So that that that explains some of it. But that I'll just say, see this much. I think my mom and I have very similar personality. So, so it would it could very well easily be a hot tempered situation quickly. You know, there was kind of a crack in the door when, when the work we were doing started to get some external recognition.

That still wasn't enough to convince my mom that I was doing the right thing. But because that that tension existed, I felt like I really was doing the right thing. Are you saying that because you there was a tension, because you were you resisted the path that was in her mind, the desirable path. And you you went your own way? Yes. And that you were able to resist and stick with what felt like you inside. The more tension there was, the more you realized that you were on the right path. To some degree, because I also was in the process of all of this, guided by good mentors and spiritual directors.

So you were seeing signs of that were sort of enforcing for you that, yeah, this is this is a good thing to do. Look, there's doors that are going to open here. Yes. And then I had to have the crazy belief that the doors would open. Yeah. Because it didn't seem like it would for a long time. Early on with the farm, you know, we're taking a risk. One shovel scoop at a time to see if this will even work out. Luckily it has. It still requires a lot of work. I think that's ongoing for you. Yeah. I don't think that'll stop. Now, but I think some of the things that are most transformative for us as individuals and as community require the most work.

But once you start to see some success, whatever that means, you're empowered to keep going. I mean, that's just kind of the journey of life in a way. Yeah. Thank you for sharing some about you before you got to the farm. And so the farm then you sort of started up in did you say 2013? Yes. So from the back end from now, what is the farm? We've been talking all around it. What is the farm? Who do you serve? Who works for you? Lots of questions. So a lot to to be described in our name. And I think I'll give you that overview. All my backyard farms.

You said earlier, alma translates from Spanish to English. So we grow food not just to nourish the palate. It's more than just about food security. We grow food to satisfy the deeper hunger of the soul. That deeper hunger we understand as connection. You know, people connected to each other, to plants, to the place they inhabit. So there's kind of that triad of people, plants in place. That we hold sacred in terms of a soul connection. That's why we grow food. Food's merely this vehicle to that end. And then backyard. We started in backyards in Los Angeles.

Literally in people's backyard. Literally in people's backyards. Now in 2013, we were young and dumb and passionate. It all seemed like a great idea. It all seemed like a great idea, not knowing there had to be some agreements in place. I mean, this is just the way things work. And then, you know, fast forward to the day. We're older, not so dumb, but and then we're still passionate. But backyard is not just the place where, we started. It's also kind of a play on the challenges we we face reentry, people leaving prison, reentering into society that often is met with a not in my backyard attitude.

I see this reentry. What part do they play in all my backyard farms? We offer job training and employment for folks reentering after prison or wanting to redirect their lives from incarceration or transitioning into new life. So again, that could be a place of rest for a moment as you consider what the possibilities are. Right. And while you're there resting you're doing something for the community. Learning some skills. Yes. So we train folks who have experienced incarceration in all dimensions of urban agriculture, from the planting and harvesting side to the actual distribution of it at our farm stand, which is one of our programs.

We work with folks who've been incarcerated or helping them build their tools and skills to navigate through life, post incarceration. But we also do so because of having listened carefully to to their desire of wanting to give back. And so growing food is a way of giving back, and most especially in communities, that have great need for nourishment. That's one way of reconnecting people. We use farms, plural for alma backyard farms because we grow significant amount of produce. I think the USDA standard says something like, if you go over 1,000 pounds of food, you considered a farm.

We have multiple sites. We started off in East L.A., which is my backyard. We're still growing there, but our flagship farm is in Compton, and we have another comparable sized urban farm in San Pedro. Most of our programing, our food distribution, our brunch happens out out of our Compton location. I visited your Compton location. It's awesome. And you serve the public or your community? Two Sundays out of every month? Yes, the first and third Sunday of each month from eight in the morning to 12 noon. And and one can come there and buy for a small amount of money relative to the grocery store, some organic vegetables that were grown on site.

Yes. And you could also have brunch, which is largely made up of what you're producing there on site. Yes. That's pretty awesome. So the the idea is that the experience we provide is a dignifying one. Of being able to source beautiful produce and have have a beautiful meal in a beautiful space in a way. So even those people who are coming who benefit from what you're producing have that experience of people, plants and place. Yes. Yes. And the people that are coming to work for you that have been incarcerated also have that newfound experience of people, plants and place.

Yes. And they can see how those elements together benefit them and benefit those around them. Yes. And I think I might have mentioned this before that, but the farm, you know, the these, different realities of what people in prison call people outside is people on the outside. Right. I believe that the urban farm is the space between where that integration and that meeting could happen. People from the outside could meet people from the inside where food, I think, in its essence, brings people together more than divides. Though I think there arguably is a possibility that food could be divisive, but I think more so.

Food could be a uniting thing. And from my perspective, what I see happen when folks who have been locked up and done time are on one side of the produce stand, and then folks from the neighborhood are on the other side of the produce table, and the conversation is around food. The conversation is around recipes. The conversation is around, how do you prepare this? How do you enjoy this? I think helps everyone in the space to recognize how human we all are. It's a common ground, isn't it? Yeah. That's pretty fascinating. So I would think then in that case, everybody's almost putting aside their preconceived notions and really just participating right on right at that moment.

Yeah. I think often it is the case that I don't ever hear concern of people really wondering what, you know, this person's criminal history is what happens more often is an expression of gratitude to folks who work with us, who have been incarcerated, which helps helps them really feel at home. Yeah. You know, and I think that's been conveyed to me multiple times. Well, there is a sense and I've only been there once when I walked into your space. There was kind of this immediate, all encompassing feeling that everyone there was sort of simpatico, like everyone was weaving amongst each other, not separate from each other.

And that you could walk amongst amongst your your groves, your vegetables really feel that that was kind of the base of how everything got there. It it created a lot of curiosity for me about the whole world that you have there, that how everything kind of maneuvers together to, to produce this beautiful outcome. I'll share this one story with you. Like how did we get to actually focusing on, on on like urban agriculture? I was working at Homegirl Cafe when, when we started some mini farms. There's some version of growing I think early 2000 is the farm to table thing was a was a big read, you know.

So if if local restaurants could source or even grow locally or grow their own salad, mix it it was like. A big deal, a big. Deal. And so we were experimenting with that for the cafe. We had a couple mini farm plots. I so happened to be with with one of the homegirls. Sarah, who was on our farm team. And can you just in a few seconds described what Homeboy Industries is? I think some of us may not know. Oh yeah. So Homeboy Industries is known as the largest gang rehab, if you will, providing opportunities for folks who have been incarcerated or involved in the gang lifestyle to gain real skill and become a part of a community that could assist in and their well-being and transformation.

They have a number of enterprises, from a cafe to some school. So we were at the cafe, one of one of the enterprises, and Sarah, who was with me on the farm team, were on schedule en route to farm a plot of ours. We're leaving Homeboy Industries in Chinatown to get into Boyle Heights. The mode of conversation is usually banter and a lot of humor, and so it was very noticeable that as we went from Chinatown into this particular part of Boyle Heights, Sarah was surprisingly quiet. And I remember driving down Gless Street and I could see her looking out the window, which made me pause because she's pausing.

When we arrived at the mini farm and we were offloading seedlings, soil bags or whatever it was, we were going to use the plant. I had to ask her, why are you so quiet today, Sarah? It's not like you. And she said the last time she drove down that street was with some homeboys, because they were looking to do a drive by shooting. And then when she had seedlings in her hand and she says to me, I can't believe I'm planting new life where I was going to take it. Oh. And so that opened my eyes to urban agriculture as you learn so much from the dirt.

Yeah. And so I held on to that story, and it was kind of a lot of the energy that went into alma, because we recognized that we could inhabit old spaces with new perspective and as a new person. So that insight was like, all right, you know, like we're doing that at the farm in Compton. It was an abandoned softball field, turned into an oasis. We were inhabiting an old space in a new way. And so, you know, I appreciate Sarah for sharing that with me then. And she would always say that farming brings me peace. Now, it's not like the work is idyllic.

You sweat. You lift, you're in uncomfortable positions. But there's real payoff in that. Because maybe those are moments where we're just connecting to ourselves into to what's underneath us. And just being able to watch something grow and to create something from almost nothing to, you know, and share that experience with other people that are helping you, of course. But to go from nothing to something fabulous. What I hear often, too, is like, and I'm just sharing with you what what folks who have been incarcerated have shared with regards to their experience.

We approach farming. Not not that, not as is rocket science, but something that's really, you know, you take compost for instance, what's what's discarded vegetable cuttings, crabs, plant debris. And too often it's just disposed of as opposed to recognizing the energy that's still present there. And when you have the right ingredients mixing and compost for instance there's a heating up process or something else starts to develop. Right. You're developing a nutrient dense material that you could return back to the soil to, to feed it. It's almost like you're talking about a human life.

Yeah. And so folks incarcerated or not, when they come into contact with compost, they start recognizing the parallels this process has with themselves. I can see how that would give us all a sense of hope. Especially when you see the heat rising out of the compost. But they will tell me themselves that they're learning this lesson that, that, you know, this thing has to be processed, it has to be turned. What might seem like trash might actually be treasure. It is it's slow work. It's fast work. But a lot of what we learn is from the soil. And then we have a model feed the soil to feed the soul.

That's been our motto. And I think that gives you a little background. Oh. Yeah. To alma. Yeah. Thank you very much. And in addition to what you've so far described, you also have you provide services for kids to come and learn about farming. I think you have a summer camp in addition to some smaller educational opportunities. Yes. In fact, our pod squad. So our program for children is called peas in a pod. We decided to call it that because post pandemic, post Covid, I think a lot of educators were experimenting with pod learning style where you had small groups stay together.

We compare our small groups to like five peas in a pod. You know, that's a group of five kids, sticking together, learning together. You know, a lot of our work with, with young children was actually encouraged by some, some of the folks who were incarcerated because they were very concerned that not only do we spend time with them, but that our influence could reach future generations. So they would always tell us you all should spend this sort of time too with children. Eric and I always envisioned the farm as a classroom for kids. Eric, who's your wife?

Eric is my wife. We wouldn't be where we are without her. So her background is in education. She actually went to school to become a teacher, similar to me. Like pathways. Kind of went went into new areas. So she helps to coordinate this effort of connecting kids with. It's more than just connecting with their food. It's like where it comes from. It seems to me it's more important now more than ever for for young children to have a sense of the outdoor space where we could also just revitalize the sense of playing. You could be entertained with dirt.

You'd be fascinated by the worms in your hand. In particular, for me, this is the space where I find a lot of joy is when children pull out root veggies, because it's like an moment. Yeah I. Bet. You know, when you pull that carried out and you. You had no idea it was there. Or especially if you planted that seed and then you revisit this thing. But that's the sort of energy I would want to keep on feeling. You know, like, wow, I can't believe that happened. Yeah. So to me, that's kind of like a miracle. And then I'm I'm a pretty basic guy. I still wake up amazed that hot water comes out of the faucet.

You know, I really do. I it's it's like a gratitude dance for me because I go, like, I can't believe that all I have to do this, turn this, and we get hot water. Yeah. Because so much had to happen before that. You know. And it just comes so easy in the end to us. I think it's it's pretty interesting that this idea of having our children be able to connect with Earth or with a process having to do with growing things or playing has become something, you know, really precious. It when it used to be, that's what you did. That's what you had. That's all you knew.

So I love that you're giving this moment back to kids who would probably not have it otherwise. You know, it reminds me. So my parents helped me land a home in East L.A. because they were just kind of insistent that I at least have a house to live in. So they're like, you need to buy a house. And so I was very much into the farming, so I converted the backyard into like a farm. And I'll share this with you because, you know, my mom did not get to meet her grandkids. No. But she did say to me, where will the children play? If all you have are raised beds?

And I would say to her, they play here. And because she was like, they need area to run. Thankfully you know, I bring, you know, little Lorenzo to the farm and there's a lot of place to run. Yes. I thought I might just share that with you because it's kind of a thing like now with with kids, it's like they just need a place to run, to not feel limited. Yeah. You know. Right. Or trapped. And really, at your farm. I mean, you would. I have the sense that as a kid, it's it's just freedom. Yeah. That's pretty, pretty wonderful. The school kids who we provide lessons for and and workshops for.

We're on the property of a school and church. So the kids that go to that school come over to you. Yes. And they will always ask during recess when is farm class? So they they they call it a class, but it definitely is a classroom. And you know, what I've noticed too is I think, like, teachers have a concern that they'll be when the kids are outside, they'll just be so distracted, which may initially seem to be the case. But what I've found more often is that they seem more focused. So I think that stems from a fear of what the outdoors may bring.

Fear meaning a lack of understanding. Yeah. I think the outdoor space actually brings a lot more focus. You know, so that's just my observation. For the children you they might just initially come out and think, wow, there's a butterfly. And what are those seeds for? And all kinds of things. But then they they kind of find their way. They'll find their way. I think it takes it's just like settling in when you go over to somebody's house, you kind of have to settle in a little bit. And then then dinner's served and you're at the dinner table. So it's kind of like that with with the class, you know.

We have an outdoor classroom, so there's a little bit of an activity to gather the kids. And then, you know, the lessons range from compost to good bugs, bad bugs, pollinators. You know, and to be in a space where young children could observe what's around them. I think part of the program, it is our intention to, to give pause. So in observing things, even scientifically you have to give pause. To observe. And I think that's kind of one of the, the lessons. Will you, you could even think about it. Well you mentioned a ladybug the other day. Yeah.

But for a kid to understand the importance of a ladybug. Yeah. And you know, to just think of this thing that is just this cute little bug that bounces around and and not go beyond that. That's fun. But then to think, wow, this little cute thing has this sort of awesome responsibility, right? And needs the help of these other things in order to perform her job or needs to be in the right home. I think that would help our kids understand so many things in life. It's not just what you see, it's way bigger than that. I just want to dispel the the mystique around growing food.

Right. And I always tell people it's not rocket science. It's a relationship. We, we call what we do relational farming. So the hope and intention is that the children develop a relationship with the outdoors, the plants, the little bugs. And developing those relationships means recognizing how you are in relation to that other thing outside of yourself. It's the same things that folks who are incarcerated. It's developing new relationships with people they're unfamiliar with, with themselves in a new space, even planting. There's relationships with plants where you will have better yields if you plant in relation to this plant.

You could deter pests if you have this relationship here. So I think, you know, our approach, whether it's the work with kids or the works with folks who have been incarcerated or even if it's just the farm stand, it's really relationship. Because the unsaid thing about relationship and growing in it is that it's a commitment of time and trial. You got to just do it over and over and over again. So if you're ever with me and I'm teaching you how we approach planting, I will always say to you, you're going to get better over time and you're going to be able to grow this plant.

Really well if you grow in relationship to it because it requires a visit. It requires some sort of conversation. You have to check up on it. You have to touch the dirt to see if the moisture level is right. So it's very tactile. You have to have a relationship. You have to have a relationship. And sometimes it doesn't go very well you know like. But there's a next time. Is next time. What a great message to start with for kids or people who haven't gotten this message yet. To start there with something so basic that provides us all with something we have to have in order to live.

And then, you know, to kind of take that forward in your relationships with people. What a nice grounding experience, what you know, to start with. Well, the ground, the soil, I mean, and to build from there. What do you see happening for you guys in the future? Is is it more of the same but on a bigger scale or, or is what you're doing now really as a whole as it needs to be? I've never heard that more of the same on a bigger scale. Meaning your square footage, the amount of people that you have. Would you be wanting to expand that like you have to San Pedro?

Is there more of this coming in your future? So more of the same on a bigger scale? I think more of the same on a bigger scale. Absolutely. I think the farm is a living, breathing thing. You know, I think James Brown was like the self-proclaimed godfather of soul. And so I in that spirit, I make a self proclamation and alma Backyard Farms, I know there are other farms in Los Angeles, but we are LA's farm. That's kind of my perception right. And and I say that in this light that during the pandemic we responded, partook in this conversation about how does a farm continue to nourish people, especially now in this kind of forced isolation, whatever was happening then, people who are or fearful of a lot at that point?

Yes. So we've navigated fear, I think, and we learned that, you know, nothing ventured, nothing gained. So we'll continue to explore how alma partakes in the conversation of Los Angeles today that's been recently devastated by fires. I think we want to enter the future, participating in this conversation of how alma could continue its work of restoration. So in terms of more of the same on a larger scale, more immediately, you know, we'll continue to make food available in our neighborhoods if there's ways we could restore land by growing seedlings of plants that could help heal land.

Plants are very capable of remediating and pulling out toxins, and they could be planted in contaminated areas. Then he land. Those are some more immediate experiments. That's exciting. Yeah. So we want to do more of the same thing on a on a larger scale, where we also want to explore new possibilities of land. We want to explore, hopefully one day having a long term lease agreement or a purchase of land. We could call our home for a very long time. And I'll say in this line, an urban farm. We're not developers looking for a land grab. That's not our intention.

It's more of this. On one of my early drives, where everything is supposedly 20 minutes away. Yeah. I so happened to be listening to a story on NPR. I think it was NPR on the Queen's Garden. And how for generations, hundreds of years, the royal family got to eat out of the same garden. And then I started thinking about urban farms and how urban farms tend to be at the mercy of the landlord when there is a better opportunity for the landlord to make money, then it's likely that the urban farm has to pack packets, bags and leave. Having listened to that story about the Royal family eating out of the same garden for generations, I thought if a place like all my backyard farms could be in the neighborhood of Compton for generations, would people in the neighborhood be able to recognize their own royalty and nobility one day?

That's the question I posed with the hope of a future farm that could be in existence for generations. That's the hope. So it's it's more of the same thing on a larger scale for a very long time. Maybe that's what I'd add. Yeah, I see. So that idea of royalty for the community. Do you mean to say that that community. Absolutely recognizes and knows how important they are, how how they are able to nourish themselves? Yeah, that there's a that there is a power they possess that there is, a power in knowing their purpose to exist for a long time also.

That there is a power in knowing that if they were to exist for a long time, they have this great responsibility to hand over to the next generation something good. And I think, you know, what you said is, is like in relation to, to the imprint, we're handed traumas consciously, unconsciously, and at the same time we're handed some really good things. Absolutely. And so on my drive here, I just kept on thinking about the flip side of things that that if you have a perspective that is a long generational one, there may be something pleasantly awaiting us on the other side.

If we could look beyond the smoke. But it got me to thinking about traumas that I have experienced. We've been told stories as a Christian, someone discerning priesthood, you know. And even if you weren't, you'd hear about the story of the fall from Paradise. I like the creation story. And and then then there's there's an obsession with original sin. In my life, I've come to discover that there's something that preceded that, though. What would be original love? Right. So I, I think there's a lot of work where if the predominant story has been one where we're known to have been born with original sin, if that's kind of a theological sometimes, is there's still is the truth that we also were born with original love.

So there's there's kind of, there's always more than just what seems to be before us. Yes. Because, like, at the end of the day, if you ask me and I could tell you, hey, Dennis learned how to use a circular saw, which is basically the pressing, the safety, pulling the trigger, making your measurement, making a cut. But if you ask me what's behind all of that, which I think is more towards the original love, it's that this person was entrusted with a tool, with the hope that he recognizes the hands that may have caused harm, still have capacity to create something new.

So like for me, training with tools is really a practice in re instilling trust. Anyone could learn how to cut. Anyone could learn how to shovel dirt. But but for me the lesson is, you know, like I'm handing this tool to you because you're going to do something good with it. There's going to be result at the end. You would also have the opportunity to do something bad with it. We're there to see. So but you've created a space where you, this group of people come together and they're going to use these tools, this information that could become something negative or become something positive.

But you've created a situation where positive is the go to. Right. And and I totally am on board with what you're saying about all of us, you know, sort of originating from a seed of love, if not more than a seed. Right. And that's who we really are. And the sin or the trauma is on top of that, and does not at all have to be the thing that carries us through. Shouldn't be the thing that carries us through where it gets us. Nowhere. Right. But love, that's the thing that carries us through. And we've all got it. And we're all entitled to it. And that is the divine.

I mean, that's that is the connection to spirit or is spirit? And I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you're doing. And we all do in your community. And I wish all communities had someone like you. So grow. Thank you. Thank you. And I appreciate your listening and inviting me to this here. Well, what you're doing is really unique. I, I wish it weren't so unique, but please tell us how people can find out about you. You have a website. You're on Instagram? Yes. Check out our website, alma backyard forms.com. It's an upgraded website, so if you haven't visited us online, do that to know what's happening with alma.

Instagram. Our handle is that alma back at farms. You'll know the latest if we're giving away food for free. We'd post it there if and when we reopen our farm stand in San Pedro. You'll know about it there. That's pretty much. Great. And I'm sure there are plenty of people outside of your community that are interested in visiting. Is that okay? Yes. Come by first and third Sundays. You sell out fast. We sell out fast. Which is, making us strategize on how to grow more. Yeah, we're really strategizing now and then. You know, we serve brunch so you can enjoy a warm meal in the beautiful space of our urban farm.

And it is beautiful when you're enjoying brunch or just sitting in and amongst the planting beds. Yes. Yeah. That's very cool. Thank you so much, Rich. Thank you. I really appreciate you being here. Thank you. Thank you, everyone for listening to us. And please visit Rich and the farm.