What's the point?

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We had started feeling burned out. It was every waking moment consumed by farm-life.  We woke up talking about it, spent the day doing it, and went to bed pressured. The to-do list continually growing, continually looming, never enough hours, no time for anything at all. Tension and stress were high. Always. Nerves and patience thin, too thin. We had begun to wear resentment like tight fitting boots- rubbing raw. 

A rushed trip to get grain from the brewery changed our minds. "Have time for a beer?"  It was laughable. We never have time for anything.  But we were waiting in town for a part to come in, so, we sat. We just sat across from each other, staring at one another's other's ugly mugs not even sure what couples are supposed to talk about when they do stuff like that. 

When we made it home though, we felt refreshed, and not from the malty hops. A soul refreshing, a hydration of "self". We jumped right back at the work. The same ole chores we had left. But we weren't squabbling. We weren't angry. Bitterness wasn't living on our tongues. We made much more progress on the blasted to-do list that evening- despite the hour or so we had just "sat".  It carried into the next day, the saturation of soul. 

And so over the weeks and months we begun to let ourselves have those little moments here and there. We started to find things to talk about, all centering around the farm at first but eventually ebbing further out. We saw the production increase. We saw ourselves becoming much more effectual when we worked. 

And so now, we build our "down time" into our day. Of course it is still a farm and crazy chaotic. The to-do list isn't any shorter. But baring an emergency we take a bit of time every evening to just not farm. It might be a few drinks with friends, maybe a walk across the lake, or like last night, it might be just kicking our feet up, sitting back and soaking in the farm and life we have built that surrounds us. 

Because we came to a realization. What is the point of this blessed farm life if we are moving so fast it's just a blur?  We were speaking of blessings through gritted teeth, a mind too full of a million things to feel anything but rushed-it wasn't a way to build a life. 

And that is exactly what we are doing here.

Like we have said farming isn't a way we make a living, it's the way we build a life. 

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To support our fam and farm and get our pork on your fork visit makerslongacres.com. You can use code "yeehaw25" and take $25 off a whole or half hog! (Butchering soon and only a few left! )


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