Tag Archives: outdoors

February 28, 2013 · 9:59 am

Begin Again

As the month of February draws to a close, I look back and feel extremely grateful for a full year devoted to spiritual growth. I practiced yoga and mindfulness, traveled to the West Coast, explored my next steps for starting a small farm, volunteered at Kripalu Yoga Center, and cultivated a strong sense of self-love. Thank you to the many teachers, mentors, and soul mates I met along the way.

The quiet and stillness of winter is comforting. Spending the days reading, writing, cooking, practicing yoga, processing with friends, and entering deep solitude is how I recharge before another season begins. On daily hikes in the woods to fill my lungs with fresh crisp air, I observe how nature emanates the same peace I seek this time of year.

A new chapter is beginning even though the foggy grey days make it hard to believe spring is on the way. In two more weeks, the goats will begin kidding and the ground will begin thawing. Although my designated “year of spiritual growth” is wrapping up, I intend to incorporate all I have learned into farming.

Each morning no matter how early, I intend to practice. Even if its for just five minutes before walking up to the barn, or paying attention to my breadth while bottle feeding a baby goat, or saying a blessing with my fellow farmers at the start of a new project, I commit to working from a place of connection to Source. Great Work is allowing spirit to move through us as we move through the world following our Dharma.

For our Mothers

Happy Mother’s Day!

I love this time of year. We get a chance to start over, cleanse, make wishes, and plant seeds or intentions for the rest of the year. It is time to break out of our cocoon that kept us safe and warm all winter. It is time to mimic the leaves that burst forth reaching out and say yes to the light.

Today I am grateful to my Mother(s). Mother Earth, Grandmothers, Step Mothers, Adoptive Mothers, and Biological Mothers. They are the women who believe in us and love us unconditionally. I send my love to all the women and mothers who keep me rooted in the Earth.

As expected, I could not stay away from working with the land too long. Our first project for my “seva” or service at Kripalu was planting two fields of wild flowers. We broadcast seeded from buckets with our hands. The motion of spreading seeds felt ancient. The rhythm brought me to a deep mediation. Everyone agreed the action of planting seeds was exactly in line with the natural cycle. It is moments like these that cause me to step back and whisper, “This is exactly where I belong.”

I am only half and hour from Rawson Brook Farm so I visited last weekend. As I held a baby goat, I felt her heart beat thump against my belly. Her small body sunk into my arms. She modeled how to completely surrender and trust, something I remember doing with my Mother.

“You are not separate from your hopes and dreams, you are only separate from knowing that they are real and the only truth your soul knows. You can’t buy into fear and fully realize your highest potential, it only comes from Love and Service.”

-Jackson Kiddard

The Spring Equinox brings a Fresh Start

Spring is here in full force! Even though it was a mild winter, I am proud to say I made it through a full one and actually found much pleasure in slowing down. The transition from winter to spring has been so fast! My last blog post had photos of snow covered landscapes and this post is already in full bloom flower mode. Gotta love greenhouses.

The 70 degree days feel more like summer. My clothes are drying on the line outside, I went for a bike ride in a t-shirt, and now I’m lying in the sun with a bathing suit.

This is unlike any March I have ever experienced in the Northeast. No complaints here. I’ll save the worries of increased tick and mosquito pressure for another day. We have to enjoy the positive sides of global warming, right?

The bulb show at Smith College greenhouses is one of the best ways to welcome spring.

Outside my door the crocuses and snowdrops are flowering. The daffodils and hyacinth are not far behind.

Sadly, I will be leaving the Northeast spring beauty behind for a month to travel. Fortunately, it will be spring everywhere I go along the Pacific coast from Southern California all the way up to Seattle, Washington. I leave this week to be a bridesmaid in a childhood friend’s wedding.

As my journey unfolds, farming will not be my main focus this season. Growing and eating good food will always be a top priority in my life. But, I am entering a new phase that involves self care, spiritual awakening, and building solid human relationships based in love.

Of course integrating all of this with farming is something I look forward to doing in the future. Taking this next season off from working full time on a farm is exciting, but I know I will miss having such a close connection with food. You’ll see…I won’t be able to keep myself away from plants and animals too long. I already found myself bottle-feeding a baby goat last weekend at Rawson Brook Farm, then caring for my hens that I gave to some friends in Greenfield.

Farming is in my blood for good. Now, I will allow myself to explore other avenues.