Creating a Sense of Place

When I first moved to our new farm, I felt a little lost. I felt like I didn’t know who I was on this new land.

So I sat down one day to figure out why I felt so spatially adrift, like I was unable to ground myself in the here and now.

I asked myself the question, “How do you create a sense of place? A sense of belonging?”

Memories.

Having memories based in a location grounds you to that place. Memories like that of a warm breakfast on the back patio as the sun comes up. Or memories of watching a flock of familiar bird fly above your home every night, always at dusk.

It is memories that creates a sense of place for us.

I want to find myself remembering “that one summer” when all the dahlias bloomed at once. Or “that one time” a sandhill crane flew so close to the ground while I harvested that it felt like I could touch her. These are memories I want to make. Simple. Cherished. Unique to this place, this farm that I am growing.