Welcome to Jera, a website dedicated to the pursuit of living a longer more rewarding and sustainable life. For years I have been researching and practicing living in a more deliberate and sustainable way. In my research I have come across many philosophies and lifestyles that have inspired me along the way. I wanted to start Jera for a few reasons, one was to catalog my own experiences, both positive and negative. I also wanted to showcase information and encourage discussion about ideas that help improve all aspects of life. Lastly, I wanted to create a resource for those looking for ideas or inspiration no matter where your journey make take you.
Why the name Jera? Jera is a ruin representing harvest or year. I thought that was a fitting idea for my lifestyle and homestead. So much of my life depends on harvest, in addition to food, I harvest the sun for electricity as well as heat, I harvest rainwater for home use and gardens. Year also seemed fitting because each year my systems, knowledge and experience grow as well.
I’ve broken down my areas of focus into six different categories. As the site grows, I hope to expand the knowledge base on each of these areas as well. The six categories are Food Production, Food Preparation, Moji, Activities, Sustainability, and Community.
Food Production is exactly what the name implies. I believe that growing food is healthier not only for the body but for the soul as well. Food gives us life and yet we have become so detached from where we get it. Most of us, myself included, just go to the store out of convince, however many of the products we buy out of convenience, or cost tend to lack in many of the nutrients we need to sustain good health. There is constantly evolving research that a traditional western diet has led to some of the largest health threats we face today including, obesity, heart disease, cancer and autoimmune disease. Admittedly I’m not much of a farmer but each year I grow or source more ingredients to incorporate into my daily routine. Hopefully as this community and group grow so will the ideas and resources available to help people with limited agricultural abilities or space produce a larger supply of their nutritional needs.
Food Preparation kind of goes hand in hand with production however I treat them separately. Unless you want to eat salad with raw vegetables for every meal, you’re going to need to learn how to prepare healthy meals. I have to admit I hate salad, so for me making satisfying meals was a must. This led me to enroll in culinary school. I always had a passion for cooking but also for creating new and interesting dishes. I decided if I was going to focus on trying to cook healthy and delicious meals then I better get up to speed with the pros. A few years ago, I discovered the Blue Zones. I began researching these regions and learning about the cuisine from each. I strongly agree with the plant-based philosophy, however in my research of the traditional diets of these regions I have learned that they incorporate more animal-based protein in their diets then represented in many of the resources online and many of the published recipes tend to be bland or lack proper balance to taste good. The Chef in me believes that it is possible to make delicious, primarily plant based, meals from readily available fresh ingredients. My goal as this site expands is to make a resource available to find and discuss recipes to make at home. I don’t want to focus on just regional cuisine from say the Blue Zones but focus on solid plant-based nutrition from all over the world and occasionally splurge with meat and heavy sauces when gathering with friends and family.
Family/Friends are the backbone of our mental wellbeing. We need a solid core group that we lean on when we need advice or help. Healthy social lives have been linked to reduced instances of stress, anxiety and depression, all of which can be linked to physical health problems as well. For me I have many different groups. All have different strengths and weaknesses. Some of my social groups carry over from one to the next. One key thing I try to remember is that with any group it takes work. You have to be willing to make the time and work to keep the group active otherwise it tends to fall apart. Someone once pointed out that I have an unusually large number of friends from school that I still talk to regularly. I told them it’s not a matter of luck or coincidence. Each one of us make an effort to stay connected and plan activities that we all connect with. Sometimes you can just show up but sometimes you have to take the reins and plan and invite everyone. The key is to maintain contact. In spite of all of that I still have a smaller closer group that is my core. Your core are the friends you call when you need help or want to share something personal. Identify your groups and start planning things. Maybe it’s a trip to a sporting event or one of my favorites, do a dinner party.
Activity is the next aspect of Jera. For me it involves a lot of physical activity. I Rock Climb, Ski, Mountain Bike, Mountaineering, Skydive and hike. The exercise alone provides great health benefits but the mental challenge as well as setting goals and achieving those goals are also very important. Activities also tie into the groups mentioned above. Just about every activity is something I do within a group. Sharing in experiences helps motivate everybody to achieve more. Not every activity needs to be or should be done with group. Sometimes activities can be a great time to contemplate, the effect can bring us to an almost meditative state. Whatever your interests are find ways to turn those interests into physical activity. Just moving and staying busy can add years and quality to anybody’s life.
Sustainability to me means trying to live within ones means without unnecessary excess. This is the first realization I had when beginning the journey years ago. I’ll be diving much deeper into this subject with further post. I could go on and on with this one. When I think about sustainability I don’t just think about solar energy or recycling. Those things help but they are only a small part of the puzzle. Financial waste is just as harmful or more so to the environment then where your power comes from. Likewise, food waste not only wastes your money to buy food, buy also resources used to grow package and transport that product. There are many ways all of us can reduce waste in our lives once we start to analyze our practices. I still find countless ways to reduce waste and live more intentionally. I choose to live on property off-grid. I collect all my power and water. I also try to collect thermal energy to reduce my energy usage. Wherever you are in life now just starting to plan can help reduce consumption and waste, and reducing waste helps bring us all closer to living within our resources.
Last is Community, no one person is an island. Just like we have social groups to lean on for support, I think it’s important to reach out help others as much as possible. What where and how are all personal choices but making an effort to help beyond our own interest or circle not only is rewarding but also brings up everybody. When a community thrives, everybody is elevated and there is greater opportunity not only for you but your neighbors and friends as well. I believe we all have something to offer in terms of helping the community and we all have a responsibility to help those in need.