September 14th, 2020
What’s in your Share?
Turnips
Arugula
Cilantro
Shallots
Cherry Tomatoes
Carrots
Leeks
Each season we begin with a list of goals. This offers the space to establish a general outline for the season, including both: questions of scale, the optimal size and limitations within which to fit our plans, and also a realm to articulate our reach towards our higher callings. There are the straight to the point, down and dirties, categorized: markets, labor, and money. And, of course, the less structured, philosophically unsettled and unsettling paths to be roved, solely categorized: why.
Next week marks our final planting, and thus begins a robust evaluation of this season. We will be revisiting the goals that set this season into motion along with asking ourselves a series of new questions in anticipation for the next; not only what worked and what didn’t, but what pursuits were more meaningful to us than others, and which goals maybe aren’t as important as we originally anticipated. And, which goals might inherently misalign, contradicting rather than building on and alongside other goals. Did this or that goal play nicely with others?
Some questions we will be exploring include: Were the farmers markets what we expected, financially fulfilling and within the limits of our time, abilities, and comfort? How about the CSA? Would adding more members or possibly a greater number of workshares further align us with some of our other goals and dreams? Did we make enough money, do we need more or could we live on less in exchange for more time and freedom to explore other endeavors? What changes did we observe in our farm’s ecosystem, what is the soil teaching us, how can we better assess and respond to it’s needs? And, my favorite… Are we happy and healthy? Were the goals and plans drafted for this season meaningful, fulfilling, and joyful?
I imagine these questions would be worth an honest reflection from most folks, farmers or not. We are fortunate to have the seasons’ rhythmic dance between dormancy and growth naturally request this annual exercise. Oftentimes people are turned off or uninspired by the process of setting so-called SMART - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely - goals; so much of the focus on quantifiable outcomes. Recently, I was illuminated to an outlook emphasizing less the destination and more the journey so to speak. Stressing less about what you want to do or be, and focusing rather on how you want to be. More simply situated in the day-to-day, this mindset lends itself towards the qualitative evaluation of actions within a deeper context of one’s values.
In his magnum opus, The One Straw Revolution, a work I would highly recommend, farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka reflects... “when it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess them, the essence of natural farming will be realized. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”