Large Values of Two

The farmer (Rob) was asked to speak at two different events on Wednesday of this week.  The first was about organic farming and the second regarding local foods.  I typically enjoy giving these presentations - especially when the audience is engaged - but there are side-effects.

1. I'm usually quite tired the day after because the introvert in me needs a big recharge
2. The process of preparing to speak gets me to thinking...

And we all know thinking is a dangerous pastime!

If you have been reading our blog over the past couple of years, you probably are aware of the number of changes and challenges we have had to deal with at the Genuine Faux Farm.  Anytime your life undergoes transition and upheaval at any magnitude (it can be a small thing from other people's perspective), there is a process of evaluating exactly what it is that you want.  Where do you want to go from here?  What are you able to do?  What should you be doing?

What if - we don't know?

First, let me toss out the normal things that most people say they want.  Happiness.  Love.  Friendship. Health. A sense of security and place.  That kind of stuff.

All valid.  All coming from a positive viewpoint.

And all of them too vague to actually act with any real surety of direction.

So, that leads us to the real questions you have to ask.  What should I do to be happy?  How do I maintain and cultivate friendships?  How do I show and receive love?  What do I need to do to be healthy in mind and body?  What makes us feel secure and how will we know that we belong?

So, what happens when you realize that every option you come up with can cause you to be both happy and stressed... or angry... or (pick another feeling here and keep going).  So, that leaves us with considering options that will leave us with an overall "happiness," while we recognize there may be some things that run counter to being happy.

And suddenly, you realize.  You don't know exactly what goals are the best goals for you to pursue right now.  It can be a crushing blow to a person raised in a society where there was a great deal of emphasis on right versus wrong answers.

What happens when you realize that 2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2?

Large Values of Two

I recognize that my desire for "right" answers leads to frustration in life.  Sometimes I fail to move forward when I should because I am not convinced that I have found the correct solution to ... well, whatever the decisions are that I have to be making.  I can get stuck on the idea that a "2" is  a "2" and adding them together is always "4."  

In real life, our twos have varying values and we can only choose from a set of possible solutions that seem like they'll lead to happiness, security, and all of those other good things.  We're left to make our best educated guess based on what we think we know and the experiences we have in our possession at the time.  We're left to decide with incomplete information and whole host of assumptions.

And we often stare at the options for too long, hoping someone will save us from our quandary and point out the correct solution.  It's got to be here somewhere - right?

It turns out that the correct solution happens to be the one you choose to take and you choose to make work - as best as you can.  Until it no longer works and you change.  Then THAT will become the correct solution.

I wonder what value "two" will have next?