To the Farm!

Today I will be making the two hour trek north to my Grandma’s farm. The farm’s not active anymore (but what small family-owned farm really is these days?), but it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. My grandma lives in a white two-story house that is surrounded by woods on three sides, with one side opening up to farmland. As soon as you turn into their driveway, the land and house envelop you in a sense of peace, and it cascades down your being, washing away worries and stresses. There’s a front deck and a back porch, meaning that this is one of the few places where you will still often find people just sitting outside, on benches or rocking chairs, mulling over life. I go to the farm to get away from things (mostly the chaos and stress of the external world), but also to probe life’s great mysteries.

At the farm, hours are spent eating, talking, and playing games. Each joyous hour softly blends into the next, and before long, the sunny day has transformed into a rich navy blue night, with thousands of white stars filling the domed sky. Far after the sun has put itself to rest, I head up old, steep wooden steps to an upstairs bedroom. I close the door, change into my pajamas, and saunter over to a bed that is covered in an over-sized hand made quilt. I lay down on top of it and stare up at the ceiling. A breeze rustles the lace curtains on two windows that look out over the woods. Everything is winding down. Creatures inside and outside of the house are preparing to sleep. I let my mind drift over the day’s events. I smile, remembering how my Grandma and I couldn’t stop laughing during one of the games we were playing.

Sometimes, my mind wanders onto sadder things. Indeed, I spent one night here coming to terms with some of the darkest moments of my life. But, I think that because the farm is such a place of peace and love and support, I am able to tackle the heart-wrenching, difficult things in life when I’m here. We can’t run away from our pain. We just can’t. We can try, but it will follow us, eating away at us and rearing its ugly head when we least expect it and affecting us in negative ways we’re not always conscious of, tinging our bright auras with darkness. We must face our fears, our pain, if we are to be healed. Sometimes we need the right kind of environment to do this in.

I am very happy that I have one of these environments. The beauty of this place fortifies me. Hopefully, I can take some of the love I get when I’m here and share it with others, thus helping to create the type of environment that enables people to face their demons, address their pain, and begin the wonderful process of healing. Today, I will go to the farm for renewal, for love, for joy. After a few days, I will leave, refreshed and recharged, ready to take on more of life’s challenges, and maybe even help others deal with a few of their own.