Hay Today, Gone Tomorrow
by Angela Kulikauskas
I was one of the laziest children you could ever meet. This was unfortunate as I lived in an intentional eco-village, where work was not only encouraged, but expected. I loved it at Whole Village despite the work that needed to be done. It had rolling hills to explore, a hundred ‘grandmother’ figures to watch over me (both an advantage and a disadvantage) and interesting strangers from all over the world to talk to. If I wanted to spend time with these interesting people, than I would have to hang out in the garden. Thing is, it’s just downright rude to be in the garden and not contribute. Gradually my relationship with work shifted. It was a necessary evil in order to achieve the company I so desperately wanted. And after working for a bit I realized another advantage; it’s incredibly satisfying to work in a field all day pulling weeds. Then everything changed when the family moved to the city. Boom, significantly less farm work.
Fast forward a couple years. I’ve just finished getting a degree. I’m struggling to find a job and purpose. Then one day my dad suggests I visit Whole Village and help with haying. I thought “Why not?” But there was more to my motivation than simple boredom with where things were at. I realized I missed the community, dang it. I miss being able to wander into the common area and chat with someone. I miss good, hard work where you can see the result, where you’re helping something grow that’s not just your mind. Although, to be honest, I did feel kind of terrified. I believed it was going to be one of the hardest things I would ever do. That I would collapse from the effort, or hold everyone back because I was inexperienced.
The first thing that reassured me were other girls close to my age. If they could do it, so could I. Soon I realized haying was not as bad as I had envisioned it to be. And gradually I got into the rhythm of things. Lift, stumble, swing bale onto tractor, determine the next bale to pick up. Now there were three things about this experience that were absolutely awful: first, the prickly hay that got everywhere and anywhere, and I mean everywhere. This meant I had to wear long sleeves, which leads to the second issue, the sun. It beat down in intense rays and soon I was sweltering in a sea of substantial heat. And third, the bales were heavy and awkward to lift, and some would fall to pieces in the middle of being carried. Was it worth it? One hundred percent YES. I’ll tell you why. Honestly, haying is one of the most satisfying things ever. A small group of dedicated people working to make a huge difference. It’s amazing to roll out into a field covered in hay bales and the entire field be cleared in a few hours. We have the knowledge that we did that, we achieved that through our ‘bare hands’, through our collective efforts. Another fun aspect was that there was plenty of opportunity for climbing. Who doesn’t enjoy jumping around on haystacks? When I sat on top of that hay stack I felt as if I was on top of the world. The company was also amazing. A fair number of people had already spent the day before haying, which I find hard to imagine. And there were so many interesting conversations to be had. When the work was done some of us went for a refreshing jump in a nice cool pond. After that everyone enjoyed a delicious authentic Indian meal to round everything off.
It’s strange visiting a place you once lived. Things are always perfect in your memory, like a photograph that remains still. It’s an odd experience to see how things have changed and yet remain the same. The rolling hills are still there, but a lot of the people have moved on. It’s funny. Once I valued this place despite the work involved. Now I realize that it has become what is because of the work involved, and that is what gives it its value. I would not give up my time at Whole Village for anything. It’s part of what made me who I am, and developed me as a person. And, in the end, it made me realize that work can be beautiful.
Angela Kulikauskas is a former childhood resident of Whole Village now living in Waterloo, ON. You can visit her on Facebook and Instagram.
Photos by Jacob Buller
