A Farmer's Peak Experience

The old saying that "Patience is a virtue" was most certain to have been uttered by a farmer.  We wait for everything.....the weather to change, the soil to warm up, the blossoms to unfurl, the seeds to germinate, the fruit to ripen and the chickens to lay.  The long days of summer are filled with lots of activity & chores but always we wait for the Peak Experience that is HARVEST! 

 

Maslow's definition nails it for me today:

Feelings of limitless horizons opening up to the vision, the feeling of being simultaneously more powerful and also more helpless than one ever was before,
the feeling of ecstasy and wonder and awe, the loss of placement in time and space with, finally, the conviction that something extremely important and valuable had happened, so that the subject was to some extent transformed and strengthened even in his daily life by such experiences.                

Today, I am a virtuous woman, awestruck and grateful.  For I have practiced patience aplenty while watching for signals that our little cluckers are finally going to pave the way for a Peak Experience.....one superb, fluffy omelette, made on a cool Sunday morning French style ala David Rosengarten . 

 

This is a sound beginning because a freshly laid egg, still warm from

"The One That Shall Live Another Day" is in hand.

 

Was it you?

 

 

Who that particular one is remains a virtual mystery.  Does the hen that lays an egg 'protect' that most noble act of hers?  I'm beginning to think this is the case for when I reached into the laying box a single hen came flying up, perching just to the left of the box as if to witness what may have felt like an act of betrayal.  After all, I was claiming rights to the product of her labor with not a hint of guilt,  reminding me of the current political discourse surrounding taxes.....but that's a whole nuther can o' worms!

 

Until that moment of harvest we humans have been warmly received by the occupants of the coop when bearing gifts of greens or "chicken crack" aka scratch.  This flock we tend acts as one, rushing the door as we "two-leggers" approach and make the sweetest little sounds when we shower them with the gifts of garden scraps.  Today was different.....as I made my way back to the door "The One" followed close by my side, leering as only a chicken can, at what was in my hand.  I felt her look could best be described as withering.  You know, like the stare you give the guy in front of you at the 15 Item Only checkout as he unloads 56 items......or am I empathizing too much with my feathered friend?  Perhaps, but today the wait is over.  Our am/pm vigil at the door of the coop has culminated in the promise of a most auspicious day on the farm.  One thing has been proven today, a farmer's patience is without end, just like the smile on my face. 

 

Love the life you live for the gift that it is!