LISTEN here first
Imagine a place…. rolling acres of California ranch-beach style land complete with permaculture, amazing open-air structures, and a vibrant community of people who are healthy, thriving and happy. Children are running free but in a safe space to explore, learn and feel independence. Everyone participates in caretaking for the space, developing the community garden, homeschooling the children, and sharing meals together. This space represents the physical actualization of the saying “many hands make light work.” Can you see it too? It’s dreamy.
Sounds a lot like a commune or intentional village. But what if I told you this space would be accessible to all who desire it. No requirements to sell your home and live on the land full time, just a day-campus of your dreams to make independent working/schooling family-life feel more feasible.
This was the original vision for Bēhere. And somewhere in startup mode, shuttling gear to and from parks and off-grid land, I forgot to keep this vision fresh in my mind. I became mired in the day-to-day tasks of our drop-off program and lost sight of the bigger dream. It was hard work. It was all worth it. But for my sake, I have to reconnect with the bigger vision to keep moving.
While on a slow-ranch life getaway this summer up in SB county, I’ve been reconnected to my original vision for Bēhere. Without the busyness of my normal Conejo Valley life and community, I’ve had the time to be a little bored and lonely in the rhythm of motherhood duties.
In desperation to find my mojo again, I pursued books and podcasts to try and bring some wave lengths back into my brain.
I was washing dishes one day, listening to Benjamin Hardy’s words on productivity, when something he said stopped me in my tracks.
He said, “Most people don’t reach their goal, not because of obstacles in their way but because of a clear path to a lesser goal.”
A clear path to a lesser goal. Wow. This frightened me, because I see all the easier, simpler options creep into my mind daily. The temptress of the easier path says, “Go get a job, get a normal home, put your kids with a babysitter more, outsource, outsource, outsource…give up on this dream and just make life easy!” It’s a tempting alternative that society paves out for us all too clearly.
When we first sold our home, went tiny and pursued independent work, I was fearless in my decision. I had no idea how hard the path would be but I knew I didn’t want to get to my deathbed one day and face that fact that I never tried. I was more scared of NOT doing it.
But here we are approaching 4 years into this transition and while we’ve made incredible progress in a lot of areas, it feels like we’re repeating some mistakes that aren’t fully conscious yet, thereby hindering full success and prosperity. I am working hard to uncover my blind spots and see my shadow-side.
I am someone who gets incredibly inspired by visionary thinking. When I think of great ideas that could change the world, I obsess over them in my mind and tell everyone I know in hopes that just maybe people will say “I love this idea, I am all in with you.” And that’s what happened with Bēhere. We started vision casting this idea for a “place for homeschool families” over a year ago and so many of you said “YES!” and therefore we’ve actually started something amazing.
However, ideation is only 1% of the work, the other 99% is all perspiration and grit. We did the sweat work during our inaugural year. Operating at parks and on off-grid land was SO MUCH WORK.
And what I’ve realized about myself is that when I get stuck in that 99% part, I lose track of the bigger vision, the one that excites me and keeps me going.
The time away has reminded me that I need to take the time to reconnect with the original vision and build something amazing, an actual PLACE where families can go to commune, homeschool together, learn how to be sustainable, AND enjoy some drop off enrichment classes.
Maybe this isn’t what people want. Maybe they just want to stick tot heir homes, and cars and errands and have a place to drop off their children. But maybe people don’t really know what they want, but are too busy acting out society’s programmed template.
Perhaps Steve Jobs had it right when he said:
Some people say, "Give the customers what they want." But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'" People don't know what they want until you show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.”
Like Henry Ford saw with “a faster horse,” people today are seeing the shortcomings of the school and trying to fix it with another, better version of school, pods, tutors, drop offs. Outsource, outsource, outsource.
When maybe there is altogether another way we’re not seeing. One where the entire family is together a lot more, learning real-life skills, and children are doing academic work relevant to what we actually need as adults, and connected to their gifts. Maybe this can be done without a lead teacher, but a network of “teachers”(parents / home educators, specialists). Education can be highly decentralized.
We need to start bringing our children into our every day lives more and finding our tribes to help us teach as a village.
This was the original intention for Bēhere, to bring back the village.
In my original vision, I shared the desire to claim a space, a PHYSICAL space, a respite and nature-sanctuary that attracts homeschool families all around to come spend their days there, to conduct their own independent learning, to join their friends in collaborative studies and partake in some of our drop off classes, while parents have time for self-care or work. I believe this space exists for us. I believe the investors exist as well to fund ownership of this space.
This is the homeschool revolution we see. One where the village comes together to meet all the needs of the child on their journey to adulthood.
In this village, I see a family-hood of humans empowering one another to do the body, soul and mind work and be the best teacher for their child, to give each other breaks to find perspective when our children’s behavior triggers us.
But here is the biggest benefit of a Bēhere village. To slow down and empower families to leave systems that don’t serve them. This consumerist society drives us to be busier than is natural. Our bodies weren’t designed for this level of hustle and it will have huge implications on our quality of life.
At Bēhere, we’re starting to organize the homeschool revolution to start. But the vision is to make families more sustainable. To get back to the land, bring in permaculture, nutrition, revive apprenticeships and change how education looks for this next generation.
So in an attempt to not get trapped in a clear path to a lesser goal. I am asking once again who is with me!?
Who wants to birth this village with me!?
Let’s Dream, and then let’s GO!
-Brooke