Today it looks like I’m blogging about farming. But I’m not really. I’m blogging about you. Read on…
Life on the farm is always varied. Yesterday we went down to the flats by the river to inspect the pasture regrowth. Once upon a time (long before us) this paddock was heavily cropped, year after year, with corn and sorghum. We’ve had the cattle locked out of here for a few months, and with all the rain and warm weather the grass should be springing back nicely.
But of course it isn’t.
Except for the areas where a nice pile of cow dung has nourished the soil. Around the old cow pats the grass has sprung strong and green and at least two feet taller than the rest of the paddock.
That tells us something important. The soil is depleted, and needs a good feed. If you get the soil right, you can grow anything.
We farm organically. Where we can we even farm bio-dynamically. We look after our dirt. Right now I have some cow dung stuffed into cowhorns, buried in a corner of my garden, ready to make BD500, a biodynamic preparation for restoring the soil fertility. It sounds kind of witchy, which is maybe why it appeals to me, but I know one thing – in the areas where we’ve already used it the pasture is lush and green, with great species biodiversity. We also apply a natural rock dust fertiliser called NatraMin to restore the nutrient and mineral levels in the depleted soil.
Yes, alright, Nicole, I can hear you say. That’s lovely, but how does that apply to me?
You know I’m going to tell you…
You are like soil. Everything grows or doesn’t grow dependent on how rich your interior soil is.
Are you feeding your body well? Are you giving it a wide range of food groups, good fats and proteins, and choosing lots of plant-based foods in your diet to help your body be healthy and strong? If you take this even further, can you choose organic or chemical-free foods, and foods that are grown locally with low food miles? Farmers Markets are usually fantastic for these sorts of choices and you’ll be supporting farmers who care about their dirt.
Best spuds in the Universe – local Dutch Creams…
Are you feeding your mind well? Are you giving it new learnings and challenges to help it grow, and stay fit and active? Are you exercising? Are you reading and watching movies and documentaries, creating and travelling and having adventures?
Are you feeding your Soul? Are you connecting with people, hugging your pets, spending time in nature, doing things that make your heart sing? Do you meditate, pray or spend time in spiritual reflection? Journalling, writing and other creative acts can be both brain food and soul food, which is a lovely bonus!
Nothing grows well in depleted soil. Take some time to nourish yourself: body, mind and spirit. The more you nourish yourself, the richer the rewards will be. Every time. It might take some time if you’ve really stressed yourself out, really run yourself down, really done a number on yourself.
But just like my poor, tired, nutrient-stripped paddock, you’ll come back with some TLC, a little effort and the right basic ingredients.
You deserve to thrive. But it’s impossible to do that without good soil. Nurture yourself. You’re worth it. I promise the results will delight you! Bless ♥ xx
And if you need some inspiration, go find this movie…
