Once again, I found myself thinking...
A dangerous pastime
I know....
I am spending quantities of time right now attempting to figure out how we will spend time on the farm for the rest of the season. It's a non-trivial problem and I have yet to come up with a wholly satisfactory answer for any given year. That doesn't mean we don't end up figuring it out and getting somewhere reasonably positive by the end of the year. We usually do. And, each year, we devise a better plan and modifications get easier to make. Except when things unforeseen occur. Then, we go to plan B, or C or...we can just wing it.
But, there are days like today where it just feels like pouring water into the ocean.
Maybe I take the planning too seriously and I need to lighten up a bit? So what if things aren't completely planned out? The job is huge and the we don't even know all of the variables, much less the appropriate responses to them. Another 32 ounce glass of water isn't going to make a bit of difference to the Pacific.
Sometimes I get this same feeling when I consider some of the weightier issues that concern me. Things like, say, the Farm Bill. You know, the one that wasn't dealt with in a timely manner. The one that had line items for conservation measures slashed automatically because deadlines weren't met. Yes, that same one that maintained or increased commodity payouts at the same time. And yes, I think about the fact that it isn't right that those with the chemicals have the right to apply them and those who don't want them just have to live with it. I want to make some noise. I want to make a difference. Something needs to be done about guns and war. It would be nice if we could be less greedy and more willing to discuss differences with respect. The subjects end up getting so big and a single voice can feel so small...
...that it begins to feel like pouring water into the ocean again.
And so, I take to a keyboard and try to type about things that are important to me. Things that might be important to Tammy, our friends and family, our farm, our CSA members, other farmers and maybe to you. Things that might educate you about how food is grown or raised. Things that might provide you with an insight that helps you to make a better decision in your life that pertains to food, farmers and the way business is done. Then, I consider how many things call to us on the Internet. I think about how many other people type worthy and unworthy things in blogs, in social media, in comment areas for newstories and cartoons and wherever else people share their thoughts. Who has the time to read this? It's one little blog for a small farm in Iowa.
It's a vast ocean out there, and I'm pouring my glass of water into it.
And it can't make a difference. Can it?
===============
If you made it to this point, that means you read this post. My glass of water reached you. I hope you are thinking now about how you can pour your glass of water into the ocean in the hopes that it can make a positive difference. And even if no one else reads this post, I did. And I will now take on the things that I have control over and even some of the things I do not.
- I will work on our farm plans with a renewed sense of purpose. They are worthwhile and are done for good people and for good reasons.
- I will not give in to complacency and I will continue to do what I can to promote good conversations about difficult things - in hopes that we can figure out how to do the right things.
- I will continue to throw little glasses of water into this electronic ether, in the hopes that I will make a difference. For someone like you.
A dangerous pastime
I know....
I am spending quantities of time right now attempting to figure out how we will spend time on the farm for the rest of the season. It's a non-trivial problem and I have yet to come up with a wholly satisfactory answer for any given year. That doesn't mean we don't end up figuring it out and getting somewhere reasonably positive by the end of the year. We usually do. And, each year, we devise a better plan and modifications get easier to make. Except when things unforeseen occur. Then, we go to plan B, or C or...we can just wing it.
But, there are days like today where it just feels like pouring water into the ocean.
Maybe I take the planning too seriously and I need to lighten up a bit? So what if things aren't completely planned out? The job is huge and the we don't even know all of the variables, much less the appropriate responses to them. Another 32 ounce glass of water isn't going to make a bit of difference to the Pacific.
Sometimes I get this same feeling when I consider some of the weightier issues that concern me. Things like, say, the Farm Bill. You know, the one that wasn't dealt with in a timely manner. The one that had line items for conservation measures slashed automatically because deadlines weren't met. Yes, that same one that maintained or increased commodity payouts at the same time. And yes, I think about the fact that it isn't right that those with the chemicals have the right to apply them and those who don't want them just have to live with it. I want to make some noise. I want to make a difference. Something needs to be done about guns and war. It would be nice if we could be less greedy and more willing to discuss differences with respect. The subjects end up getting so big and a single voice can feel so small...
...that it begins to feel like pouring water into the ocean again.
And so, I take to a keyboard and try to type about things that are important to me. Things that might be important to Tammy, our friends and family, our farm, our CSA members, other farmers and maybe to you. Things that might educate you about how food is grown or raised. Things that might provide you with an insight that helps you to make a better decision in your life that pertains to food, farmers and the way business is done. Then, I consider how many things call to us on the Internet. I think about how many other people type worthy and unworthy things in blogs, in social media, in comment areas for newstories and cartoons and wherever else people share their thoughts. Who has the time to read this? It's one little blog for a small farm in Iowa.
It's a vast ocean out there, and I'm pouring my glass of water into it.
And it can't make a difference. Can it?
===============
If you made it to this point, that means you read this post. My glass of water reached you. I hope you are thinking now about how you can pour your glass of water into the ocean in the hopes that it can make a positive difference. And even if no one else reads this post, I did. And I will now take on the things that I have control over and even some of the things I do not.
- I will work on our farm plans with a renewed sense of purpose. They are worthwhile and are done for good people and for good reasons.
- I will not give in to complacency and I will continue to do what I can to promote good conversations about difficult things - in hopes that we can figure out how to do the right things.
- I will continue to throw little glasses of water into this electronic ether, in the hopes that I will make a difference. For someone like you.
Remember, Rob, the numbers for Compassion International. We can make a difference one at a time. When you first sponsored a child, I think it was 48 kids died each day because of preventable causes such as disease and hunger. Now, the number is less than half that. We ARE making a difference, one kid at a time. So, keep reminding all of us to think about and talk about topics like gun control, the ag bill, etc and each of us can work to make a difference in our daily lives.
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