When we first started our farm journey, we had an idea of what it would mean to "make it" as farmers. We saw lush gardens, thriving beehives, beautiful pastures with an array of healthy grazing livestock, and of course plenty of free-range chickens. We envisioned ourselves at the farmers market, with our table arrayed with all sorts of homemade goods and homegrown food to sell in our community. We wanted the picturesque farm life we saw so many times while scrolling through social media. Turns out... creating that farm is just not that simple.
I think as new farmers it's hard to know what you will really love. Far too often I feel the need to do all the farm things as if I have an endless supply of time and energy. In our current stage we are busy and honestly a bit tired. Although our dreamer and go-getter mentality may try to get us to bring in yet another animal or another project, we are learning to fight back with the reality of our limits. I think this year will be a real eye-opener for us. A lot of new experiences will help us decide which direction to take our farm and how to best spend our energy.
As we head into our third year of farming I have to remind myself that what we are building here is our own. I would encourage all those who are farmers or wish to be farmers not to let social media be the tool to measure success. I suppose that goes for all of us. Social media should not be our source of validation. The number of followers you have does not equate to your level of success. It is a sure way to lose motivation and stifle creativity. I was very guilty of this. I had to stop looking at numbers. Instead of trying to keep up with trends or algorithms, I started sharing from my heart. I trusted that by sharing our journey we would find the right community.
It is easy to get swept into thinking that to be a farmer or a homesteader you must be able to keep up with *insert your favorite insta-famous farmer here*. The reality is, we are not them. We are not created to “be” other people. God created each of us to be unique. We all have different skills and gifts. That is the beauty of community. We don't all have to be experts at everything. We can support each other and by doing so maybe even gain some energy and time back. Who could you support this week?
How can I pray for you?
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