Digging Deep

I am not a pioneer. I do not sit by a fire nor do I own a cow. My land totals less than one acre and is in a well-developed area. I do have dreams and I put forth the effort to make them a reality. I have limits set by town ordinances and my own personal limits yet I can be relentless and stop at nothing. When mother nature reaffirms that she is boss by sending a brutal winter or unexpected late frost I will dig in deeper and work harder because that is what I do.

I am not a pioneer because what I am doing is no different from the things others before me have done. The elders around me find my lifestyle to be reminiscent of their youth while people my age think I am crazy. Most often I find the path I walk to be a lonely one. Yet every once in a while my path will cross with others who have similar ideas. I am so proud to see my neighbors starting their own gardens and having success. I love the friends who I can call and say, "hey the local farm is selling apples 20 lbs. for a dollar, lets can some".

Of course, I have days where I want to give up. There are days I just want to order a pizza and sit in front of the tv and forget all about growing food, cooking meals from scratch, and all the other meaningful things I try to fill my days with. These are the days when I have to dig extra deep and get that meal on the table and  bring my family closer. I don't want to just live life, I want to FEEL it. If what I am doing does not make me push my limits a little further then I am not doing enough.

No, I am not a pioneer and for that I am thankful. I have the knowledge from those who have done all this before me to inspire me and to remind me that anything I want can be possible if the effort is put in. It is good to know that at one time or another they all felt like failures or thought of giving up but due to their tenacity did not.