Roots of a Southern Kitchen

This session was done by Ivan Keim. Ivan and his wife live in the Ohio Amish community, where they raise their four children. A lot of people have misconceptions when it comes to the Amish community, but in reality, they want to live as simple of a life as possible. Ivan and his family focus their attention to their family farm, where they harvest produce and meat to sustain them through the winter.

We are ADDICTED to it! Phones, computers, and televisions have our attention way more than they should. Digital technology also fundamentally changes our relationships with others.

7% of our communication is what we actually say. 38% of our communication is the tone in which we say it in. 55% of our communication is in our body language. Now consider how effectively we are actually communicating with others when we send a text!

Ivan said, “We are all designed to belong to something greater than ourselves. When we belong to something greater than ourselves, we have responsibility and accountability.” He also recommended that we should use the tools we have in the digital world, but never become enslaved by them.

Family is especially important in the Amish community. Children work on their family farms from the time they can walk. Working with your family still counts as family time though! You can still talk, laugh, sing, and play while working. Make it fun! It is vital to intentionally create time for others, creating strong relationships between friends, family, and spouses.

Some of my fondest memories with my grandparents is shucking corn and shelling peas. Even though we were doing tedious and repetitive work, it didn’t feel like work because we enjoyed each others company.

Ivan encouraged us to make small changes towards a more simple life, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”. He says that just by eliminating unnecessary noise and screens can make your life feel more simple. Instead of watching tv or scrolling Facebook in the evening, try picking up a book or learning a new hobby. Ivan said even just sitting in silence and thinking is a wonderful way (and one of his favorites) to slow down from the chaos of life.

My favorite tip from Ivan was to “pull the weeds from your life”, meaning pull little bits of chaos and negativity from your life, and “nurture the positives” to ensure happiness.