Sometimes this homestead/farming thing is just plain hard. Sometimes, if I were honest with you, I just want to throw in the towel and forget it. It can get discouraging when plants don’t produce the way want them to, when animals get sick, and when things break down. It can even be more discouraging when you see others having more success, or what you think is more success, than you and you wonder why you don’t have that as well.
Sometimes the to-do list seems long and endless. Projects sometimes get put on hold as more important things need to get done first.
And, yes, there are mornings that I just don’t want to get up.
Sometimes the anxiety creeps in (like when the garden needs to be put in a timely manner), and sometimes we are just plain tired with no motivation. Heck, last weekend I feed the animals in the morning and went back to bed, got up and then watched a movie. I did NOTHING. Hey, we are only human.
There are times when my soaps don’t turn out the way I want and I worry y’all won’t like them.
But then you receive messages like this:
“Got to meet Stephanie at the farmers market… walking up to her table was like walking up to an old friend… definitely gonna have my business for a while.” –C. Claborn
And this
“This weekend we bought several bars of the raw goat milk soap! And we absolutely loved it! My husband loves the man bar! LOL we also bought some vegetables as well! Me, not being a super cook, was unsure how to cook them! LOL. Stephanie was so kind to walk me through how to best cook and prepare them! I really appreciated her taking the time to do that! Thank you!” –B. Garcia
Then there is the conversation I had at the farmer’s market with a woman who had purchased our soaps for her daughter. She was so excited to tell me that her daughter’s acne had cleared up after using the chamomile facial bar (this bar will be back in the spring when the plantain herb I forage is back in season).
And this text after a woman came and bought some chicks for her daughter. She had let the chickens out and when she went inside a hawk got them. She was in a panic because her daughter had told her to not let them out without staying right with them.
“Thank you SO much you really saved me. Before I could get home, Cassie [her daughter who owns the chickens], had already gotten there and my husband had texted me to call her, because he didn’t want to tell her. But she is okay now and loves these [the chicks]! I just wanted to say thank you and bless you!”
Truth be told, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t want this any other way. I LOVE this lifestyle. It is my happy place and all of you make it so worth it. Each of you play a part in making the early mornings and long, hot afternoons worth it.
There are days that we get to sit with the chickens and watch them be…well, chickens. I have even lain down with the goats for a quick afternoon nap. The goats are always up in your business and sure sometimes it’s a pain, but they are so darn cute.
There is nothing better than walking out to the garden and picking your dinner and knowing EXACTLY how your food was raised; and when I can reach into the freezer for a butchered chicken or frozen veggies, I have a deep sense of gratitude.
This simple, yet intentional life feeds my soul. I know that this isn’t for everyone. But each of you plays a part. I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that every person I meet and every conversation I have is ordained and serves a purpose. I don’t take that lightly.
Thank you to all of you for your kind words. They are an encouragement when we are just dog tired. Sometimes we all need a reminder of why we do what we do.