| Sometimes there is a certain metaphorical symmetry between family life and farm life that I find beautiful. A truism one discovers when working on a farm, is that change is the one constant to be counted on. Sometimes, however, you can find yourself waiting impatiently for the change. You feel yourself pushing right up against it, waiting for it (the drought, the rain, the strawberries) to break. And then it does. This past Saturday, both the heat and my stress broke. After weeks of heat, muck, mosquitoes and constant talk and stress of the impacts of all the rain – suddenly I felt like I could really exhale again. With cooler weather, delightful breezes, and the confidence that we will be able to fulfill our commitment to all of you despite all of the losses from the rain, the stress lifted for me. I hadn’t realized I was so stuck in it until a market customer said, “You’re socializing again!” Later that same evening, sitting around a fire after the barn party, I found myself talking with a friend about kids. We were talking about how out of multiple children, one is always in a difficult state. We talked about how as parents, just when we think we can’t bear it (the tantrums, the bed peeing, the sassy attitude) anymore, the challenging behavior will pass. To be a parent is to accept that the only constant is change, and that whatever the difficulty, it will eventually pass. Halfway through the conversation, I realized I could interchange the word ‘child’ for ‘farm’ and it would still make perfect sense. And this brings me back to my opening idea of symmetry. Whether it’s a difficult stage of a child or a challenging farm season, riding the wave of change feels so much the same. Change is a truth that we constantly are relating to – either pulling toward it or pushing away. We embrace it. We avoid it. We grieve it. We celebrate it. Both in life and in farming. This symmetry between my life and my work, both teaches me and provides me joy. I guess said another way, farming is so much an extension of just living life. And this symmetry, this connection feels real, poignant, and amazing. It’s just one of the many reasons I love being a farmer. Thank you for all your support.
Farmer Cassie | 
