Work that Lifts the Spirits: Veggie Share Week #5 – Wed. 7/9/25
Work that Lifts the Spirits
Last night I sat around a bar table with a close group of friends. Together we sat and tried to encourage and support our friend to make a career change. She feels locked into a job she’s had for a very long time and feels very scared to leave it for something else – but this job makes her miserable.
Listening to what she deals with in her work place and the mental and emotional drain it is on her is sobering and sad. She has to deaden her spirit to make it through the day. She lives for 4:30 when it’s time to leave. And when she does leave, she has exert lots of effort to mentally shed the wear of the place on her so that she can enjoy her non-work life.
I feel for her. Deeply. I want nothing more than for her to find a job that fulfills her. And short of that, I hope that she can find a higher paying job that doesn’t drain her so much.
The experience our friend shared with us has me reflecting on my own work.
Farming is difficult physical work that has to bow to the fickleness of the weather. Super challenging for sure! And yet… I don’t feel trapped. My days fly by! My spirit is lifted by my ability to connect with living things. Managing all of the aspects of running a business that handles every part of the supply chain, from seed to customer is multi-faceted. And the seasonal changes in my work keep my days looking so different all the time, so I never feel locked into a boring, repetitive job.
What an incredible gift.
Sometimes there are these moments in life where something you routinely take for granted is highlighted, sometimes by someone else’s misfortune.
I feel bad for my friend. And yet, her negative experience shines a huge light on all the privileges I have as a farmer who loves her job.
I mean seriously, just working outside and getting to breathe fresh air and feel the sun on my skin, as opposed to fluorescent lights and blue-lit screens is an enormous privilege I hold! Yes, I did forget to shut my office window and now all my bills are wet, but as I write this newsletter I can feel cool morning breeze on my skin while I listen to the chatter of red-winged black birds and song sparrows. Later I will walk in the fields, smooshy from last night’s rain, and harvest cabbage with my most positive and fun field crew. Next, I will get to harvest and taste the first green bell peppers of the year. Then I will head to the greenhouse and seed baby brassica crops that will be ready for harvest in October, which will nourish us during the cold times. And through all these different parts of my day, I will see flashes of colors – so many shades of green I won’t be able to count them all. I will be surrounded by beauty.
The joys I get to experience here are the farm are incredible. And for this, I am very grateful.
Thank you for supporting the work we do. It is my challenge and my joy to grow food for you.
Sincerely,
Farmer Cassie
