Sessions with the Farmer’s Wife:
Conventional Wisdom for Contemporary Life
My younger sister, Karen, the psychologist, recommended I plant a garden for therapeutic purposes. What she meant was, Get off the phone; stop obsessing and go do something productive that will take your mind off of the craziness around you. Having lived in Colorado for nearly 12 years, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea. After growing any number of seeds – some intentionally, some not so intentionally – all of my previous life in Iowa, I had given up on ever watching any fruit or vegetable actually reach fruition in my Black Forest (the name itself threatens any plant’s determination) yard. But since my sanity, not vegetative productivity, was the goal, I deemed her suggestion worth the investment.
I remember Dad asking me to water the garden. I also remember him explaining I needed to soak the garden, not just sprinkle it. He's ended up watering his own garden for years now.
Not only did the garden’s consistent demand for attention distract my thoughts to better places, it also reminded me of the farming wisdom many folks (including me!) had abandoned. As I dug through the dirt, remarks and phrases unfolded in my brain waves, thoughts simple and profound and much needed for acquiring and preserving sanity. How had I wandered off the row? Was the sparkle and the glitter of the city life so enticing I forgot my roots? No more! I determined. Once a farm girl, always a farm girl; no more penthouse living as the life for me! (Anyone remember Green Acres?)
The garden idea grew – in my yard and in my head. I carried it to my office where I shared my psychological bounty with clients – healthy, flavorful treats from my own black dirt and elbow grease, from my very own Victory Garden!
Every day, Leona's mother would take a glass of cool water to her husband when he came in with the horses from the field.
Curious, isn’t it, how much those farmers knew without a single college degree? My grandparents managed all of their lives, their families, and their relationships with only an eighth grade education. When the country needed their help to aid the efforts of World War II, they had the life skills; they knew how to plant a Victory Garden. They knew how to farm – the flow of the seasons, the days, the crops, the insects, the moon and the stars, working hard, then playing hard – and that significantly equipped them for success in life.
Could it be significant for you? Might it restore some perspective, some respect for truths that cannot be “spun”? If so, I invite you to spend this crop year with the Farmer’s Wife, where the dirt is black, the work is rewarding, and the food is home grown.
Grain of Truth: It’s time to get back to the wisdom of the farm.
Sessions International 