“Living out here, it must be hard to envision all the millions of eyes watching them. “I feel like we’re doing what God wants,” Neeleman says. “We’re on His errand a little bit,” Daniel adds. “We’re on His errand a little bit,” she repeats…
Trad wives are an internet phenomenon; women who have rejected modern gender roles for the more traditional existence of wife, mother and homemaker — and who then promote that life online, some to millions of followers. Their lifestyle is often, though not always, bound to Christianity. They film themselves cooking mad things from scratch (chewing gum from corn syrup, waffles from a sourdough starter), their faces glowing in beams of sunlight, their voices soft and breathy, their children free range,” (Agnew, 2024)
“Crews really seem to enjoy growing the food themselves,” said Howard Levine, chief scientist for NASA’s International Space Station Research Office at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “It’s a nice reprieve from typical activities on the station, and astronauts often volunteer their free time to do it.”
What’s more, astronauts say the time spent gardening makes them excited to eat the fresh produce once it’s ready. The excitement motivates astronauts to use the produce creatively as ingredients in their meals, increasing their quality of life in space and boosting their morale. McArthur even created some tacos using fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes and artichokes, and the fresh grown space station chiles. Other astronauts followed McArthur’s example, also making space tacos with chile peppers, and they expressed the same excitement at having fresh produce,” (NASA, 2022).
Both groups derive satisfaction from self-sufficiency, from knowing that their work matters. Whether it’s growing peppers in a space station or raising cows in Utah, growing food to sustain one’s own community provides people with a sense of connection, purpose, and belonging. Engaging with nature and natural processes can remind us that there’s more to life than work, school, bills, errands, and appointments.
In a culture where “having a real job” means sitting in front of a computer all day, going outside and working manually can be extremely gratifying. Fortunately for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, they are perfectly suited to help people find this personal satisfaction. Currently, the parks already run programs ranging from archery to kayaking to history tours. Activities like this seem like the perfect opportunity to help visitors learn about their impact on the environment and inspire them to act within their communities. For instance, what if historical tours were led by people who have ties to the land? Could that change how people interact with it?
Now extend that scope beyond individual action.
What if programs extended beyond the park and incentivized local businesses to learn about sustainable management? What if companies visited the parks for staff retreats or day trips, could sustainable guidance during these visits make a difference? Maybe if parks across Ohio felt more integrated with local businesses and communities, the communities would have more incentive to take action and keep those environments safe.
References
- NASA. (2022, July 22). So You Want to Be a Space Farmer…. NASA.gov. Retrieved
September 8, 2024, from https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/
so-you-want-to-be-a-space-farmer/ - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (n.d.). [NASA astronauts Mark
Vande Hei and Shane Kimbrough, JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide, and NASA
astronaut Megan McArthur pose with chiles they grew aboard the space
station.]. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/
so-you-want-to-be-a-space-farmer/ - Neeleman, H., & Neeleman, D. (2024, July 20). Meet the queen of the ‘trad wives’
(and her eight children) (Interview by M. Agnew) [Transcript]. The Times.
Retrieved September 8, 2024, from https://www.thetimes.com/magazines/
the-sunday-times-magazine/article/
meet-the-queen-of-the-trad-wives-and-her-eight-children-plfr50cgk
