The Beauty I See in You...

In my previous life I worked in an awesome dental office not far from my home in Arlington. I worked with a really, really, rad bunch of people who were all very skilled and totally committed to fantastic patient care. While I was working there we did a team building workshop where I learned about something called "bridging". Bridging is an opportunity to clearly tell another person (err... gigantic community of people) what they really mean to you.  WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE FARMERS MARKET!???

I'll tell you... Arlington... I (the Arlington farmers market) am going to bridge with you.

Here is how it goes. Two people (in this case one community and one group of volunteers) clear some time in their busy schedules (how about national farmers market week?) to sit down alone together. Then take some time to think about the answer to two questions.

1. What beauty do I see in you?
2. What do I want to be for you?

Take your time...I will go first.

Arlington, the beauty I see in you is your charming downtown, your fun shops, and their dedicated owners. The beauty I see in you is your dedication to the education and safety of the children in our community. The beauty I see in you is your unwavering interest in having fun! The beauty I see in you is your ability to grow food. The beauty I see in you is your friendly neighbors. The beauty I see in you is your knowledgeable city employees and local politicians of pure gold.

Heartbeet Farm, Photo Credit Misty Mountains Farm

What I (the Arlington farmers market) want to be for you is a community meeting place. I want to incubate your micro business and encourage your young entrepreneurs! I want to bring the FRESHEST local food from all over Snohomish and Skagit County to a convenient spot for you to pick up and bring  home to your family. I want to help you to maintain a relationship with your farmers so that you always know who is growing your healthy, safe food. I want to support the cultivation of heritage and heirloom varieties of our favorite foods so we can all spoil our selves rotten with the taste of real food but not pay a premium for it! What I want to be for you is a resource, a place to pick up food storage tips to stretch your grocery dollar. A place to learn about foods we have forgotten how to cook, or when to best preserve. I want to be a piece of the Arlington puzzle.

Happy national farmers market week friends! Do you see beauty in the market? What do you want us to be for you?