4.9.22
My goodness but it has been windy of late! I mean really windy! I know March is known for its winds, but the gusty days are certainly not over now we have entered April! I do like to listen to the wind in the trees, a gentle, soft sighing wind, but these gusts that shake the front door and set trees toppling are something else altogether. Mother Nature sure can keep you on your toes. There is, however, something slightly exhilarating about heading from house to barn, bent forward to brace yourself against the gusty wind, the appreciation of the moment of calm when the shelter of the barn is finally reached.
Last night, as I lay in the bath soaking my sore arm in the hot water, I looked out the window at the trees swaying in the wind and a sense of peace came over me. The past few months, well, to be honest, the past couple of years have been a tad challenging. Two years ago, April 6th to be exact, I woke up to discover I had Bell’s palsy. With of a mere few weeks of classes remaining of the five-month long EMT class I had been teaching, the stress must have finally hit me. The class, which had started prior to the onset of the pandemic, was a first of its kind in that it was approved by the state to be taught outside the jurisdictions of a community college. A huge accomplishment for those folks wishing to serve their communities as volunteer EMT’s in frontier Oregon! When the pandemic hit, the continuation of the class was touch and go as there were 18 students and gatherings of people in one place had been reduced to 6. Thankfully, we were given a waiver to continue with the class which concluded successfully on time.
That first year of the pandemic brought its own challenges, but we, as did everyone else, managed to navigate the turbulent waters. Last year, as many of you will recall, Darrell and I had our fair share of health issues to contend with. After receiving my second COVID-19 vaccination, I developed some heart issues that continue to plague me – thankfully my heart is structurally very healthy, it is merely an electrical issue that is causing havoc at times! Darrell also had a heart issue to deal with although his was in the form of having to have a major heart valve replaced. All of these challenges made us look at our lives with fresh eyes. Maybe it was time to slow down a bit more? Cut back on some of the things we have done for years?
I had made the decision to sell our pig breeding stock, thinking after years and years of raising pigs from birth to butcher we would just buy the few weaner pigs we wanted to raise up for meat each season. However, I found myself missing the big pigs, missing raising up the little ones, so back into the pig business we went although it is now on a much smaller scale. After all, it is not that much work, right? We love the life we have and somehow, just cannot see it changing much.
As the pandemic slowly draws towards the endemic stage and life returns somewhat to normalcy, there still looms much going on in this world, and in our country, that can put a damper on even the sunniest of days. Sometimes it is tempting to just bury one’s head in the sand and ignore what is going on around one, yet that is not always a wise thing to do. So, we try to focus on life here at home, what Darrell will plant in the garden this year, when the next cow will calve, how many eggs the chickens will lay today, when will the hummingbirds show up eager for us to fill a feeder for them. Good things to look forward to.
As I have shared with you, my faithful readers, the past few weeks saw me feeling a tad down in the dumps. It was a long winter. Falling and severely breaking my arm did not help! It is awfully hard to be forced to slow down, to not be able to do the simplest of chores without thinking about what you are doing before you do it! Darrell, bless his heart, has kept me going. Encouraging me to take it easy, to give myself time to heal. What an expert hair plaiter he has become! Bit by bit I have found myself climbing out of the hole I fell into. It does not do to let onesself become sorry for oneself for too long!
As I lay in the bath last night, looking out the window at the gently swaying trees, I realized we all have a choice in life. We can succumb to being down in a deep hole and give up, or we can adapt, be resourceful and find our way up and out. Amongst the tall pines with their long, green needles reflecting the last rays of sunlight, stands a dead tree, its branches denuded of needles, a white skeleton standing beside its living cousins. As the wind hit the pines, even the tallest and stoutest of them swayed and bent under the merciless gusts, all except the skeleton tree. He stood tall and unyielding, determined to fight the relentless wind, the strong wind threatening to break him in two. As commendable as it might seem to stubbornly stand strong against the forces around you, threatening to pull you down, sometimes it is even more admirable to be willing to bend and sway and adapt.
Mother Nature, as always, is an amazing teacher. As I watched the pines, I realized the past few weeks I have been like the skeleton tree, I have allowed my mind to become filled with woe is me thoughts. Dwelling too much on the negative instead of accentuating the positive! As I lay there last night, I reminded myself how incredibly lucky I am. I have a wonderful life, my bones are healing, the grass is growing, and the daffodils are blooming, but most of all I have my dearest Darrell beside me, an amazing partner to walk through life with. Someone who will bend and sway with me and weather the gusts life throws our way with ease. Thank you Mother Nature, for yet another lesson in life!