The Six Little Piglets

The end of February is in sight, and we made it through the coldest part of the winter. I'm sure we still have some cold weeks ahead, and some spring blizzards, but that beautiful sunshine, radiating through the big Alberta sky is tempting me to do more indoor planting than I should.

It'll be a while before we start working with the soil outdoors. Or checking the fruit trees and seedlings that are currently sleeping under the snow. But there is endless work to do even before the "busy" season starts. Just like nature, however, we need a season of rest.

I have always loved working, but something that comes home to me now as the years pass by, is that rest is not only good, but necessary. And the only way to make sure I get any rest during the busy season, is to be disciplined. And cultivating discipline is very hard when you're out cultivating crops, or taking care of animals, or doing whatever it is that feeds your family. With less to do, or maybe less that we are able to do, during the winter, I implement a schedule for myself, to try to get back on track.

The hope is that the habits formed in the slow season, will stick with me during the busy times. Ineveitably there is always some sort of crisis or deadline that throws a wrench in the whole process, but we try and get back on track as quickly as possible. A good is example is yesterday, as I came home from work, there were six, 200 pound pigs running down the driveway to greet me! So instead of starting evening chores, I had to walk the coral, and do some fencing. The pigs are good and followed me right back home, but it was still annoying to have evening chores pushed an hour later than usual. We'll try again tomorrow, I guess!

The discipline of rest is something that the corporate world with their algorithms and spreadsheets seems to have a hard time understanding. Hours worked does not equal productivity. When we take the time to rest, our weekly hours worked go down, and our productivity goes up. It seems paradoxical, but we have to admit that we see the same function all throughout the natural world. Everything has a rest cycle.

So if you can, get some rest. Your body and mind will thank you.