The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance – Robin Wall Kimmerer

Eventually, two women adopted her and explained that all such gifts did have to be returned. It would be entirely inappropriate to simply accept three eggs from a neighbor and never bring anything back. One did not have to bring back eggs, but one should bring something back of approximately the same value. One could even bring money—there was noth

Once we live the reality of abundance, there is an effortless flowing of giving and receiving. People who live according to these laws are found in all levels of the population. Their characteristics have to do with heart and peace of mind; not in correlation with wealth.

1970s, academic turned farmer Wendell Berry wrote about how economic success includes the hidden cost of depriving people “of any independent access to the staples of life: clothing, shelter, food, even water.”⁠14 What was once the riches of self‑reliance have become things with a price.

We find sufficiency and sustainable prosperity when we think of our resources as a flow that is meant to be shared, when we put our full attention on making a difference with what we have, and when we partner with others in ways