2010 is quickly winding to and end and I've got mixed emotions about it, you see 2009 was a doozie and 2010 was awesome so naturally I hope that 2011 will be good and I certainly hope that we won't have another 2009. I've got lots of things nay goals for 2011 and I'm hoping to be able to pull them off to some degree by using some of the lessons I've learned this year. The biggest things I've learned is that above all other things time need to be taken to enjoy the ride. Don't get so wrapped up in it; what ever it is, that you forget to enjoy the ride. We only get one shot at this life it would be a shame to miss it, don't ya think?
Some of the other things I've learned are:
1. "They don't eat much hay." is a subjective term. Much hay compared to an elephant or a goat?
2. There is a reason for the old farmers saying that fences need to be horse high, pig tight and bull strong...
3. No matter how much you prepare your self or steel yourself against it taking animals to the abattoir hurts more than you think it will.
4. Good neighbors are amazing!
5. Do some research before raising animals, (especially for food) as you don't want to go in blind, but know that it will cost you more than you think, but not too much and it's worth every penny.
6. Farms are built by blood, sweat and tears and worth every drop.
7. Others will laugh, scoff at or even make fun of your choices and that's ok, let them. Forgive them, they just have now idea how blissful your life really is.
8. Enjoy the breeze on a warm sunny day at the beach with your children.
9. Crops fail, livestock eventually becomes deadstock, and large amounts of wind, rain and snow happen, roll with it. Hopefully it doesn't all happen on the same day, sometimes it does. On those days count your blessings and move on.
10. Lots of things just don't matter, it's the little things that do...
11. Sunsets are beautiful and a nice way to end the day with the hope for a beautiful tomorrow.
12. It's easy to bite off more than you can reasonably chew at one time and it's ok to say no.
13. It's very exciting to see an egg being laid and even more exciting to watch one hatch!
14. Children grow up way to fast and horses age way too quickly.
15. Sometimes it takes a 500 pound heifer and a show ring to give a young girl some self confidence, and it's heartwarming to watch.
16. We do all get the same 24 hours in a day it's how we decide to spend them that makes the difference. We do have the time if it is a priority. But sometimes even the best laid plans can get 180'd because the pigs got out or the truck got a flat or whathave you and not everybody understands. I hope you make it a point to surround yourself with people that do.
17. You are able to do exactly what needs to be done when it needs to be done even though you didn't think you could.
18. Red and grey squirrels; albeit cute, are very destructive!
19. A barn full of happy animals is a wonderful thing to hear first thing in the morning, or anytime really and a ride on a trusty steed can lift even the darkest cloud.
20. White tile flooring is not really ideal for my lifestyle. It shows way too much crud and despite the fact that the floor is swept daily it rarely looks that way. So I'll take a bit of wording from Joel Salatins wife, 'If you're coming to see me come anytime, if you're coming to see my house make an appointment.'
There are lots of other things I've learned this year so this is just a smattering, but I don't see how it would be possible to learn it all at once or in one year, nor would I want to. Learning is part of the journey. So here's to a look back at 2010 and lessons learned and a hope for a prosperous 2011 for you and all of us here at From the Country Farm. Good Night, God Bless and Happy New Year! Welcome 2011!
Showing posts with label perspective. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perspective. Show all posts
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
it's made me who I am
Like it or not, like me or not I am who I am because of the experiences I've had and learned from. Hopefully. Some lessons I've liked so much I've had to learn them again! I've always tried to live my life without regrets and maybe that sounds cliche', young, inexperienced, naive or what have you but it's the truth. I've had good days, bad days and in between days. I've been hurt, lied to, ashamed, maxed out, overjoyed, happy, angry, had my heart broken and felt like I was on top of the world and a myriad of other things as have we all, but in the end it's that which we are dealt in life that shapes who we are, the things that we do or don't do, the experiences we have help mold us into who we are. The other part of that is how we deal with those experiences, feelings and emotions is equally important to who we are. I was trying to explaining to my children that two different people can look at a picture and see something completely different and yet it is still the same picture. Some might be drawn to the blue color of the sky others might enjoy the yellow of the sunflowers, and it's the same with life. When we are in a less that ideal situation one person might panic and the other might keep their wits about them based on the experiences they both have had. And like I told my children both 'visions' are ok. We're not all meant to walk the same path, I believe we are constantly being prepared for what lies ahead, good or bad. My life now is SOOOO different from where I thought I'd be at this point in my life, So. Very. Different. But I have no regrets and I couldn't enjoy my life more! Had I not had the experiences I did earlier I would not be where I am now and the thought of that makes me sad. So I meander through life trying to keep in mind there are more colors in the painting than the one I see and hope next time I look at the painting I see them all. All the while waiting for the next experience to come along or in some cases seeking it out! So the thing that I'm thankful for tonight is experience, outlook and perspective.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Andrew's Heaven
After spending the afternoon snowshoeing and being outside, the last place most people would want to go it to help do barn chores in a cow barn, not Andrew. He has been after me to let him have a cow for what seems like forever, (at age 7 he opened a saving account to save his money for one!) and I fully intend for him to have one, but he needs to be a bit stronger and older first. Well, a local farmer and friend invited him over to help with the feeding tonight. By the look on his face you'd have thought I'd just given him a cow! He was going to be able to be near them and for that minute it was enough, he was happy and so was I, for him.
The farm we went to has Scottish Highland cows and Holstein heifers, the Holsteins just happen to be Andrews favorite!! though Texas Longhorns are a very close second. They walked out into the pasture to feed the Highlands, pictured below.
Before they came into the heifer barn they had to slide down the frozen manure pile! What?! not your idea of fun either?!
Andrew inside feeding the Holsteins hay, making sure he did it exactly like the farmer showed him.
Trying not covet, having a really hard time not to.
He was even allowed to grain them. as you can see the girls knew what was happening and wanted him to hurry! Andrew will sleep well tonight and have sweet dreams I'm sure. Sweet in this case is perspective, after we got home he didn't take his jacket off because it smelled like the cows. I'm positive he'll ask to wear it to bed.
The farm we went to has Scottish Highland cows and Holstein heifers, the Holsteins just happen to be Andrews favorite!! though Texas Longhorns are a very close second. They walked out into the pasture to feed the Highlands, pictured below.
Before they came into the heifer barn they had to slide down the frozen manure pile! What?! not your idea of fun either?!
Andrew inside feeding the Holsteins hay, making sure he did it exactly like the farmer showed him.
Trying not covet, having a really hard time not to.
He was even allowed to grain them. as you can see the girls knew what was happening and wanted him to hurry! Andrew will sleep well tonight and have sweet dreams I'm sure. Sweet in this case is perspective, after we got home he didn't take his jacket off because it smelled like the cows. I'm positive he'll ask to wear it to bed.Thursday, December 31, 2009
It's all about perspective
As I get ready to welcome the new year, one which I'm really looking forward to, I wanted to share with you a pearl of what some might consider drivel and others might consider wisdom. For what it's worth here it goes....
It occurred to me via one of those 'getting to know you' emails that are sent and resent and just when you think you've answered it for the last time it resurfaces; that things are all about perspective. The said enlightening email was for me to send out to friends, they were to fill out the questions and return it to me and I would then find out how well people know me, at least that was the intent.
So I sent it out and the answers were interesting; that's when it hit me, it really is all about perspective, in all things. One of the questions asked what political party I belong to and whether I was conservative or liberal, depending on the circle of people I am friends with, I was both a conservative republican and a liberal democrat. At first I wondered how either set of friends could think that of me but then realized that depending on their beliefs, or perspective on the world I was in fact what they thought, when they measured me with their stick, their compass, next to that which they hold dear.
You see, we all have a view, an opinion, a perspective that we use to navigate through life, and what shapes that view is the experiences that we have lived through; who we are, and how we deal with life is like nobody else, because it's about how we view the situation. Case in point, when I was pregnant with my daughter I was told (over the phone no less) that based on an ultrasound that my daughter would most likely be born with Down Syndrome, in the same manner that I could have been told that she was going to have blue eyes, totally nonchalant, the 'doctor' (I'll use that term loosely and just spare the details) gave me the news and then asked if I had any questions. At that second I did not, I felt like the rug had just been pulled out from underneath me, but I knew I'd pull myself up, dust myself off and go on with life. I'll be perfectly honest here, at first I was devastated, but not in the way that you'd probably think, it wasn't about being devastated because this was something that I'd have to deal with or because this was happening to me, it wasn't even about me. I was devastated because my little baby would not have a normal life. She would not experience normal things, and it hurt, it felt like a sucker-punch straight to my heart and I didn't know hurt until I felt like bad things were being dealt to my unborn child and I had no way to prevent it. I also hadn't experienced that kind of love either.
As I dealt with my feelings, and there were many that came and went, I heard the words a very dear friend of mine said to me in reference to something completely unrelated and in jest, her words came to me just when I needed to hear it. She said, "What is normal anyway?" It was like a lightening bolt hit me and all was well in my world, my perspective. What difference would it make if my baby was born with Down Syndrome, she would have the life she was supposed to have because to her it would be normal. I mean, after all I grew up with two siblings and what is normal to me is not necessarily normal to them. She would be fine either way and it would be ok, because after all, what is normal anyway?
You see it was about perspective, my perspective was that her life would not be normal, but when I looked at it from her perspective it would be her normal, then I felt foolish, like I couldn't see the forest through the trees and I'd been upset for nothing, but I just needed a different perspective.
So dear friends my hope for you this New Year is a wish of new perspective, even if you just borrow it for a while and it helps you gain a better understanding, a little different perspective.
It occurred to me via one of those 'getting to know you' emails that are sent and resent and just when you think you've answered it for the last time it resurfaces; that things are all about perspective. The said enlightening email was for me to send out to friends, they were to fill out the questions and return it to me and I would then find out how well people know me, at least that was the intent.
So I sent it out and the answers were interesting; that's when it hit me, it really is all about perspective, in all things. One of the questions asked what political party I belong to and whether I was conservative or liberal, depending on the circle of people I am friends with, I was both a conservative republican and a liberal democrat. At first I wondered how either set of friends could think that of me but then realized that depending on their beliefs, or perspective on the world I was in fact what they thought, when they measured me with their stick, their compass, next to that which they hold dear.
You see, we all have a view, an opinion, a perspective that we use to navigate through life, and what shapes that view is the experiences that we have lived through; who we are, and how we deal with life is like nobody else, because it's about how we view the situation. Case in point, when I was pregnant with my daughter I was told (over the phone no less) that based on an ultrasound that my daughter would most likely be born with Down Syndrome, in the same manner that I could have been told that she was going to have blue eyes, totally nonchalant, the 'doctor' (I'll use that term loosely and just spare the details) gave me the news and then asked if I had any questions. At that second I did not, I felt like the rug had just been pulled out from underneath me, but I knew I'd pull myself up, dust myself off and go on with life. I'll be perfectly honest here, at first I was devastated, but not in the way that you'd probably think, it wasn't about being devastated because this was something that I'd have to deal with or because this was happening to me, it wasn't even about me. I was devastated because my little baby would not have a normal life. She would not experience normal things, and it hurt, it felt like a sucker-punch straight to my heart and I didn't know hurt until I felt like bad things were being dealt to my unborn child and I had no way to prevent it. I also hadn't experienced that kind of love either.
As I dealt with my feelings, and there were many that came and went, I heard the words a very dear friend of mine said to me in reference to something completely unrelated and in jest, her words came to me just when I needed to hear it. She said, "What is normal anyway?" It was like a lightening bolt hit me and all was well in my world, my perspective. What difference would it make if my baby was born with Down Syndrome, she would have the life she was supposed to have because to her it would be normal. I mean, after all I grew up with two siblings and what is normal to me is not necessarily normal to them. She would be fine either way and it would be ok, because after all, what is normal anyway?
You see it was about perspective, my perspective was that her life would not be normal, but when I looked at it from her perspective it would be her normal, then I felt foolish, like I couldn't see the forest through the trees and I'd been upset for nothing, but I just needed a different perspective.
So dear friends my hope for you this New Year is a wish of new perspective, even if you just borrow it for a while and it helps you gain a better understanding, a little different perspective.
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