What does change look like to you? It's easy to believe that change is simply adding and substracting, when we do more of one thing and less of another. It makes sense to approach it this way, especially when reviewing a financial statement. As we prepare to file taxes each year I find myself reviewing the types of documents that highlight changes on our farm in terms of more and less. More sales here, less expense there. More customers, more pounds of pumpkins.
Real change, however, doesn't always fit into this more or less format. I realized this when we chose to make some changes on our farm this season. As 2022 approached, we realized that we needed to step back and assess the work level on our farm and what we could reasonably get done. After much discussion, we decided to take a year off from the Community Supported Agriculture program (farm share deliveries) that we have been offering for about 15 years and focus on farmers market this season. The pumpkin patch will also continue as usual.
This change felt like much more to us than simply a plus or minus. Less deliveries, more farmers markets - it's more complicated than that. In this case, rather than a plus or minus I prefer to think of change as the Greek symbol Delta, which looks like a triangle.
I'm not a math person (by any means!) but something about the triangle as a symbol of change is meaningful to me. It has connecting points that form the overall shape. A triangle can be tall or short or flat and still be a triangle. The angles can change, and the size, but the shape is still recognizable. I relate to this as a definition of change on the farm. We may change how we go about things on the farm, but it will continue to be a place for growing healthy food for ourselves and others. We will keep working hard, but may we need to work differently to create a better balance for ourselves.
It's not necessarily about working more or less. There are always more tasks to do and less time to do them. More weeds to hoe, more pumpkins to pick or more repairs to make. That's just part of living and working on a farm. It is about working differently, and in a way that continues to support our customers, ourselves and our family. We may stretch or shrink the farm, or change the angle of what we do, but the overall goal is to continue on.
Thanks for changing with us and supporting local foods. We look forward to a busy and bountiful 2022 season!
Real change, however, doesn't always fit into this more or less format. I realized this when we chose to make some changes on our farm this season. As 2022 approached, we realized that we needed to step back and assess the work level on our farm and what we could reasonably get done. After much discussion, we decided to take a year off from the Community Supported Agriculture program (farm share deliveries) that we have been offering for about 15 years and focus on farmers market this season. The pumpkin patch will also continue as usual.
This change felt like much more to us than simply a plus or minus. Less deliveries, more farmers markets - it's more complicated than that. In this case, rather than a plus or minus I prefer to think of change as the Greek symbol Delta, which looks like a triangle.
I'm not a math person (by any means!) but something about the triangle as a symbol of change is meaningful to me. It has connecting points that form the overall shape. A triangle can be tall or short or flat and still be a triangle. The angles can change, and the size, but the shape is still recognizable. I relate to this as a definition of change on the farm. We may change how we go about things on the farm, but it will continue to be a place for growing healthy food for ourselves and others. We will keep working hard, but may we need to work differently to create a better balance for ourselves.
It's not necessarily about working more or less. There are always more tasks to do and less time to do them. More weeds to hoe, more pumpkins to pick or more repairs to make. That's just part of living and working on a farm. It is about working differently, and in a way that continues to support our customers, ourselves and our family. We may stretch or shrink the farm, or change the angle of what we do, but the overall goal is to continue on.
Thanks for changing with us and supporting local foods. We look forward to a busy and bountiful 2022 season!