10: A Nonviolent Relationship With the Family Farm

This chapter describes a personal, experiential exploration of nonviolence through relational engagement with a family farm in Missouri. Framed by concepts from Ingold and Kimmerer, the chapter explores regular, intentional interactions with the land, such as walking, observing, and tending. It further describes how these activities became a practice of coexistence and mutual transformation. The interactions with nonhuman companions on the farm, such as rocks, worms, and flowers, demonstrate a personal shift from human-driven control to nature-driven flow, which supports a growing sense of inner peace. Through reflective journal entries and descriptions of embodied experiences, the author reveals how this orientation toward nonviolence extended into personal healing from grief and professional transformation as an educator. The chapter concludes by suggesting that embracing discomfort and uncertainty, like seasonal cycles on the farm, can support a pedagogy rooted in relationality, care, and peace.