The Essential Supplement You May Be Missing: People!

What comes to mind when you think of your “inner circle”? Perhaps family or your closest friends? Humans naturally want to surround themselves with other humans. That tendency is a survival instinct, which we can see in times when humans had to rely on their communities for protection from rough environments (Sreenivasan & Weinberger, 2016). Pioneer psychologist Abraham Maslow placed relationships, belonging, and connections on the third tier of his Hierarchy of Needs, a theory he proposed in the early 1940s that organized humans’ basic needs. The lower levels include physiological needs such as food, water, rest, and safety, while higher levels include psychological needs like a sense of belonging, love, being known, and accomplishment. However, sometimes our need for connections can become so strong it overrides even our physiological needs (McLeod, 2023). 

Dr. Sawchuk from the Mayo Clinic states that people who spend more time alone have an increased risk of clinical loneliness or depression. Some people enjoy spending time alone, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t need valuable connections in their lives. According to Dr. Sawchuk (and a large body of research on the subject), regularly engaging in fulfilling relational connections can fight feelings of loneliness, sharpen memory, increase happiness and overall well-being, and could possibly increase life expectancy (Williams, 2019). 

Humans have recognized the importance and power of relationships throughout history. Before he became king of ancient Israel, David formed a strong friendship with Jonathan, the son of King Saul who was trying to kill David. This friendship not only saved David’s life multiple times, but the Bible says the two were “one in spirit,” so close was their bond (1 Samuel 18:1, NIV). The Roman philosopher Cicero wrote a poignant – and still very relatable – essay on friendship in the year 44 BC. Some of his musings include that your friends can make you a better person, choosing friends wisely is important, and that friendships can change over time (Freeman, 2018). Today, perhaps, we have lost sight of how important friendships are in the light of the over-digitized world we live in, saturated with pseudo-connections that promise fulfillment but leave us lonely.

Vintage Meadows strives to form and nurture relationships in every aspect of our operations. Our weekly crew that packs your orders are a positive, hardworking bunch who generate a wonderful atmosphere in our space. Farmers Ryan and John spread joy around the farm by verbalizing both blessings and frustrations and expressing appreciation of their supportive work relationship and the friendship that follows. Additionally, numerous farm/chore employees work diligently and reliably behind the scenes, ensuring tasks are completed and everything runs smoothly. As you know, we partner with multiple local farms to provide a variety of products. Building relationships with like-minded farmers has been rewarding and fulfilling, getting us excited for the future!

We value each relationship with our pickup location hosts in the Chicago area. Ryan and John express gratitude for positive interactions that often involve laughter, stories, and food, fueling their spirits for the long delivery hours. Many of our hosts have told us how they love the community that forms at their locations and of new friendships formed from Vintage Meadows customers relating to and connecting with each other. Hearing these stories affirm our mission, vision, and values! We sincerely hope that our customer connections impact you all as much as they impact us. Saturday mornings are unique for Vintage Meadows. We get to host each of our local customers onsite at the farm, serving coffee, chatting about life, and hand-delivering farm-fresh orders. Watching relationships bloom and positively affect people’s lives has shown us how powerful they really are. If you’re reading this, we appreciate you. We hope that we get the chance to connect with you soon!

References

Freeman, F. (2018). How to Be a Good Friend, According to an Ancient Philosopher, TIME. https://time.com/5361671/how-to-be-a-friend-cicero/

The Holy Bible - New International Version (1984/2012). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2018&version=NIV

McLeod, S. (2023). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Simple Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Sreenivasan, S & Weinberger, L. E. (2016). Why We Need Each Other, Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-nourishment/201612/why-we-need-each-other

Williams, V. (2019). Mayo Clinic Minute: The benefits of being socially connected, Mayo Clinic. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-the-benefits-of-being-socially-connected/#:~:text=Socializing%20not%20only%20staves%20off,even%20help%20you%20live%20longer.