It has been a crazy week around here. It hasn’t even been that abnormal of a week, really, but it just seems like it has been flying. It’s already Sunday, but it feels like I have gotten absolutely nothing accomplished this week. The kids and I have had our normal jiu-jitsu training this week, the girls had school all week, and we had church as normal, but it just feels off this week. I’m not sure why that is, but that’s how it feels. It could have something to do with the weather. It’s now April 8th. Yesterday morning it was 1°F. Yes, you read that correctly. Today the high is supposed to be 19°F. Isn’t that fun?! NOT! I have spring fever something awful and cannot wait to get outside and get something accomplished. I’m ready for pretty green grass and blue skies. I think all of Minnesota would agree with me on that!
There are so many projects to do in the spring time. My husband always jokes that we love summer, but spend all summer getting ready for winter. The sad part is that it’s true. We spend the spring and summer cutting, splitting, and stacking wood for the woodstove to heat the house in the winter. We grow a garden to have veggies throughout the winter. We hunt in the fall to have meat throughout the winter. We spend the fall getting the tools put away, winterizing any machinery we won’t use in the winter, and adding snow tires to the ones we do use all winter. This year, if all goes well and as planned, we will also be spending the summer getting animals ready for winter. That alone can take quite a bit of time and work. This year the main thing will be to get the shelters insulated and more permanent fencing set up.
I don’t mind all the projects in the spring and summer. I love to be outside. I love to put in a day of actual work. Physical, hard work. I love being able to see the progress after putting in a day of work. Seeing something get done is such a beautiful thing. It does wonders for a person’s mind and spirit. And there is also something to be said for the sore muscles at the end of the day. I know I don’t need to lift weights when I am consistently doing farm work. That’s one of the best perks to farm life!
I don’t know about you, but when I’m sore, I can tell if it’s a good sore or a bad sore. I have had enough injuries and surgeries in my short time to understand the difference. Every night that I train jiu-jitsu, I come home sore. Most of the time it’s a good sore. I love the good sore feeling. I may not be able to walk properly for a couple days, but I love the good sore! I can tell that I worked my hardest and put in an honest effort. I don’t like doing things half way. I like going all out and knowing that I left my best effort on the table. I don’t like feeling like I could have done more, or given it a better shot, etc. I like to work my hardest at everything and know, at the end of it, that I could not have given any more effort to what I was doing. It’s all or nothing in my book.
Back to the work topic. Why does it seem like the hardest work is the most satisfying? When I work at something and see the progress I’ve made, it boosts my spirits. I think that’s why farm work is my favorite type of work. I have worked on a farm as a farm hand, horse rider, and riding instructor. I have worked in a photo lab as a picture developer. I have worked at a retail store as a cashier. I have worked in a concession stand at a racetrack as a cook. I have worked at a bank as a teller. I have worked at a daycare center as an infant teacher. I have worked at a construction company as an estimator. I have worked as a security guard on a military base. I have worked for the State of MN as a health insurance enrollment representative. I am currently working for a trucking company as a dispatcher and bookkeeper. Why do I list all of that? To show that I have had many jobs in all different lines of work, but farm work is still my favorite. I LOVE the physical work that is required to farm. I love to see the progress made at the end of the day, week, month, and year. There are so many changes that happen, and it is exciting to see all of them. It is exciting to share that with my children and husband. I love to see the looks on my children’s faces when they see something for the first time or learn something new. The wonder in their eyes brings me so much joy.
I love that animals can be so understanding. They know when something is wrong and they try to help in their own ways. I’m hoping to teach my children to be understanding and compassionate. I’m hoping to teach them to be in tune with other people, and animals alike, to know when they are a little bit off, physically or emotionally. Animals can teach people many things if we will listen and be willing to learn.
I am so thankful that God has put the desire to have a farm inside me. I’m thankful that I have a supportive husband who is willing to let me go a little crazy with my farm ideas. I’m thankful for children who want to learn as much as I do. I’m thankful they are willing to help with the animals and the farm work. I’m thankful that they will learn many life lessons on the farm instead of from television or who knows what else. I’m thankful they will be able to see how a life cycle works. I’m thankful they will be able to see the fruit of their labor and watch their baby animals grow. I’m thankful my children will be able to learn how to grow their own food and learn how to preserve it for later use. I could go on for days about everything I’m thankful for regarding having a farm. There are so many! I can’t wait to get going on our little adventure. I’m sure there will be a million more things to be thankful for as we go along. All we need to do is work hard and be ready to recognize everything that we should be thankful for.
What are some of the things you are most thankful for? They don’t need to be just things about a farm. Not everyone lives on a farm. But everyone has things to be thankful for. I could probably write for days and not exhaust my list of things to be thankful for. Let me hear some of yours!
Imperfection At Its Finest 