I've officially been a full time farmer for 7 weeks now - prior to that I had a corporate job in advertising. Outside of becoming a mother for the first time, this has been the most drastic transition of my life. Similar to motherhood, it's incredibly exciting and challenging but also very unpredictable. I realized early on that there isn't one book written for my specific child and his characteristics - well... there isn't one book written for my specific field or livestock either. My husband and I have been dreaming about this transition for a long time. I had been praying for years for God to show us His will for our lives and He came through loud and clear. God has an amazing way of letting us know when it's His time.
Although this has been a long-time-coming event in our lives, I'm finding nothing could have possibly prepared us for the last 7 weeks, or the future. In fact, it doesn't feel like it's been 7 weeks at all. The whirlwind of events, from workshops, to preparing fields, to planting, to new livestock, has eliminated any concept of time from my brain. I'm trying to establish a schedule of some sort, but every day or two we add a new element to our farm. My chore list is a mile long between the chickens, dog, sheep, compost, seedlings and crops. Not to mention accounting and marketing if I can manage to squeeze it in while the kids are doing homework. Even though I work 12 - 13 hours a day, I still run out of time and can't get everything done.
I have learned what real "skin in the game" and "sweat equity" means. We definitely have a true sense of ownership and drive, which means now I find myself losing sleep at night because of our crops and commitments. As chaotic as that sounds, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'd rather have my board meetings in the Egg-Stream, consult with Maddux on his favorite snack and present an exciting new variety of vegetable to my CSA members. I'd also rather fight for a cause we believe in and try to make a difference on this earth before our short lives are over. Besides, the view from my new office is way better than my last office...
-Nicole
We're in this same journey - quit our jobs and working so hard on this farm but every day feels like we ran away to join the circus! Couldn't be happier.
ReplyDeleteWatching the weather to see if it's going to rain or if we need to water, or if we can get some chore done before the rain hits, is light years better than watching the traffic reports!
But it's the best circus job in the world. The clowns have feathers or four legs and they don't talk back. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
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