“Yes, and that’s why what we’re doing here is so important. We’re creating a model that can be replicated in communities across the country, then around the world.” Micah pointed out to where the ocean was visible on the horizon. He leaned over her shoulder and she felt his warm breath on her neck. “You know the first time I saw the Pacific Ocean? I’d never been outside the Midwest, never seen anything but corn and wheat fields. Then I drove cross-country when I was eighteen in a beat-up Chevy Cavalier with no AC.” He chuckled. “And when I arrived in Santa Cruz, California, I thought I’d landed in paradise. I took off my sneakers, sat down on the boardwalk and dangled my feet in the water. For the first time in my life, I felt as if I belonged somewhere.” Micah smiled at her. “I tossed those sneakers in the trash can; I knew I was never going back.”

“What did you do then?” Karina asked, trying to conjure images from her childhood visits to the Santa Cruz boardwalk with her family.

Micah shrugged. “Odd jobs—construction, food service. My favorite was being a carnival barker on the boardwalk.”

Karina laughed. “You were?”

“Hey, I was good at it!” Micah touched her arm playfully as they continued walking. “I had a nose for those things. How to get someone to pony up for a prize: when a guy was trying to impress a girl, or parents needed a break from their kid.”

“So, basically, you pawned off a lot of giant stuffed animals?” Karina teased him.

Micah shrugged. “Once you understand what makes people tick, you can help bring them into brighter lives. If all human beings lived like that, the world would be a different place. One day, I was sitting on the beach in Santa Cruz, my bare feet in the sand, gazing out over the blue water, and I just had this vision of a world where every organism functioned together and every human being strived for full potential.” He looked wistful. “Ever since then, I’ve been working toward building a place like this.”

“Have you looked at hydroponics?” Karina asked, excited. “I could show you a few things we set up at the Botany Lab if you want to try them in a greenhouse or indoors.”

“That’s exactly the kind of expertise we need.” Micah smiled at her as they came upon a large screened shed, a chicken coop with a dozen birds clucking about inside. He stopped and turned to her. “Let me ask you something, Karina. Are you satisfied with your life right now, truly satisfied?” Micah looked directly in her eyes. “Do you feel like you’re living up to your highest potential? Are your relationships meaningful? Is your work rewarding?”

The mention of relationships turned a wrench in her stomach. Karina considered her answer. She enjoyed her job at NatMark and she was good at it, but was stocking potatoes meaningful work? She thought of her father, who worked all the time, who prized work above leisure time and hobbies. But her father believed in work of the mind; she knew he would be dismayed at the thought of her doing manual labor over advanced calculus.