Lessons from the Farm (by Claire)

When you work on a farm, life gets messy. Your clothes are constantly covered in mud (or what appears to be mud, but could very well be something else), your hair is like straw due to the goats that decided to munch on the little strands as you filled up their water bucket, and most importantly, almost nothing goes the way you planned and you end up having to use your thinking cap to discover a new way. 

After spending some time in this setting, I began to pick up on various life lessons that I have learned from everyday work. Lessons that seem to be no-big-deal, but I treasure very deeply because it appears that the most precious moments happen in the most unexpected times.

To begin, stick to your community and flourish with them in the unknown. When my co-workers and I first attempted to relocate the male bucklings in another area of the yard after their first enclosure was too muddy, almost every kid took off zooming down the driveway thinking he had all the independence in the world. Now, this process includes letting every goat out of the electrical fence pen and allowing them to have freedom while we rearrange fencing. As you can imagine, the bucklings believe they are big shots. It was only after a matter of minutes that individual bucklings that had drifted just a tad too far began to cry out for the others. They had forgotten their community and left them behind. Only when they got to the unknown, AKA the busy country road, that they remembered they were all alone. This simple, yet sweet reminder led me to cherish my loved ones and “community” a little bit extra that day, and dwell with them when life brings the unexpected.

In addition, always take time to get to know the stranger. When I had first arrived on the farm, one of our llamas, Indy, was quite interested in me and I often found her no more than two inches from my nose every time I turned around in the barn runs. At first I thought, what in the world is wrong with this llama? What does she have against me?, but then I remembered that she is simply an animal that has encountered a little change in her daily routine. Not only did that change my perspective with Miss Indy, but it also made me aware of how I tend to rush past the unknown faces and rarely get the courage to reach out and get to make myself familiar with them. Thanks to this friendly llama, I have since dialed down the rush and allowed time for both friends and strangers in the recent weeks. 

Finally, do not change who you are just because someone is scared of you. This one is a bit more personal to me, as I struggle with pleasing people occasionally; however, I believe that it is a decent reminder everyone could use at least once in their lifetime. One of our horses, Aspen, is very hard-headed. Not always in a negative way, but he certainly knows when to press the buttons. I have dealt a fair amount with horses, but mainly from a veterinary perspective, not so much on a personal at-home note. Aspen likes to do what I call “play-biting” when he is in a frisky mood, something that may be expected from a puppy, but not a twelve-hundred pound horse. After interacting with Aspen on several occurrences, it was clear that I was going to have to earn my friendship with him. I will admit, there have been times that I have been fearful of being in the same stall because this creature has a personality of his own. But after pondering my time with Aspen, I realized that he is just like the rest of us, unique. He may have his quirks and stubborn attitude at times, but that does not make him a bad horse and it certainly does not mean he has to change. He simply needs time to warm up with newcomers and have space to be himself. So, while my relationship with Aspen is still a work in progress, this boy has taught me much about living out who I am and letting my light shine to others. 

Overall, my time so far on the farm has been so sweet. I know I will continue to progress with the life lessons from all aspects and all animals. Oh, how I love farm life. 
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Claire Gilles is a writer and farm hand at Sirocco Ridge Farm, and a Psychology major at IUS. She plans to continue her education to obtain her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and incorporate animal therapy. 

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