Crossing the Creek
Feb 22, 2024
Crossing the Creek
The Good Old Days...I was going to sit down early this morning to write this letter. But some things got in the way. And here I am, halfway through the day, finally sitting down.
Rushing Zeke off late to the little preschool down the road through the ice and snow. Hiking out to the cows to unroll more hay and chop ice off the water trough. Checking in with the crew on some unforeseen and timely decisions. And for good measure, having the excavator on site accidentally snap off the 4" drain valve on the lower pond to let thousands of gallons of water start rushing out into our pasture.
And now sitting down to type and realizing both my "a" and "e" key are half broken and only want to work at every third poke.
Little things that might add up to feeling like a big blow to reaching my capital 'G' Goals. But not today.
Today, through some good fortune, I've been able to enjoy the ride. To have fun even. Laughing with Zeke for 15 minutes about how funny windshield wipers are (he's just noticing them for the first time). Slowing down to really soak in at how beautiful these new cows are, eating hay with their calves beneath the walnut trees and falling snow, while the geese fly overhead.
Even making a last ditch effort to fix the broken drain valve with Chris and save the flooding field, with 35F water blasting in our faces and soaking our clothes, was actually a good time. Cold, but good. (and yes, the fix actually worked!)
The joys of family, of connecting with the natural world, of comradery, and tangible work that connects us to a sense of purpose. The impossible joys of living.
Like this past week, having the valve on a frozen tank of ice cider snap in the cold, and us running around like chickens trying to stop the flow of precious ice cider dumping onto the ground. Even that can feel good. Building memories, building connection.
I suppose it's cliche for a reason, but, the path is the way. There is only the path.
(but yes, this broken a and e key are still suuuuper annoying. I'm not some enlightened monk).
On my best days I can see that all the billionaires and "successful" people that have "made it" get the ultimate reward of spending their days arguing with each other on Twitter. And I can remember that the journey is actually the fun part.
These are the good old days. It's all we have.
I'm not sure why it's so hard for us to stay present and enjoy the process.
Maybe you can remind me of this next time I'm having a bad day:)
I'll let you know if the pond fix holds till spring,
Garrett and the Cider House Crew
