I've been home for nearly three weeks now, and as promised I'm writing a final blog to wrap up my time of working on the farm. It's taken me a while to write as it's still difficult to find the words to sum it all up. When friends and family have asked me how my time was, I've almost been at a loss of how to truly express my thoughts and feelings; because, quite frankly, the experience overall has been life changing.
After having spent a couple of weeks catching up with family, friends and doing a little bit of partying, and plenty of sleeping; I'm now finding that I am reflecting on the experience more. Some things have been falling into place in my head and in my heart as I start to understand on a deeper level the things I have learned and gained.
Working with the Earth day after day brought for me the deepest peace I have ever experienced and a very profound connection to what I call my 'True Self', or soul, if you like. I found the physical nature of the work therapeutic in a number of ways. While I worked with my body, I found my mind to be blissfully quiet, which for me is a welcome state. Having lived with an over active mind and spiralling thought processes for, well, ever; living fully outside of my head has been very productive for me in understanding completely what I should be, and want to be doing with my life time.
The nature of the work has also, of course, changed me physically. I think I’ve never been in better shape and I have been amazed at just how adaptable my body has been. The first couple of weeks were painful, leaving me achy and slow, I will never forget just how much I hurt after the first day of work – the infamous onion planting day. I couldn’t walk properly for a week!
As the season went on my body became stronger and more capable and I enjoyed the hard graft. I love that blissfully tired and warm feeling you get after a hard day’s work, and I’ve never worked harder in my life as I did on the farm.
Through this experience I have learned my most profound lesson and it really only just dawned on me the other day while talking with one of my closest friends. It may sound odd, but I have found a deep peace with myself, I completely accept myself now, and not just accept, but love. It isn’t arrogance, or conceitedness, it is a state completely devoid of ‘ego’. It’s a subtle shift, but also a HUGE one. So many of us do not accept ourselves, let alone love, and I know I didn’t for a very long time. It’s interwoven with self-belief, I’ve found my drive, the fire in my belly is burning bright and I feel capable of doing anything.
Of course I have learned bucket loads about farming and I’m eager and excited to put those skills and knowledge to good use, as I make plans to start my own venture in the not too distant future. I’ve found the experience deeply inspiring and I’ve fallen a little bit in love with Canada and the amazing people I’ve had the opportunity to work and live with. I'm already missing it, the deep blue endless sky, the quiet, the simple way of living... there are too many things to list.
Being home again is lovely, but strange at the same time. Not having any of my fellow farm buddies around me with which to reflect on the experience, almost makes it feel like it could all have been a dream. Was I really away for seven months? It flashed by in the merest blink of an eye, but there are memories that I will keep forever.
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| Exercise we did in the final few days, reflecting on our time spent on the farm. |
I have enjoyed writing this blog and thank you to all those who have said you have enjoyed reading it. People have expressed that they would like me to continue keeping a blog, so I have set up another, which will mostly consist of things I get up to with growing food, plants and anything else related to working with the earth, and perhaps just inspiring and interesting things that occur. I’m yet to post or pretty it up, but for future reference here it is Earth Work
Thank you to all those who made the internship so wonderful
Big love to you all
Becky xx
