My Farming Journey

So from dreaming to making it a reality was like literally tumbling down the path encountering learning of various sorts and finding joy with each step.  With every stumble we found something new to learn, avenues for learning opened up and we lapped it with all our heart and soul. Working 6 days a week and still raring to visit the farm that was one hour away or attend a session on gardening was not easy but we were excited and that was enough to get us going.

We learned from any and every source - paid workshops, free events, reading books, videos, google anything and everything we could get our hands on. We found some great mentors along the way who were instrumental in providing the right resources we were looking for; we also connected with many like-minded people and made new friends. It is a joyous - time spent learning with people who have the same ideologies like you.

And as we moved ahead in this journey, I discovered some wonderful things along. Every new encounter taught me something new; I discovered that some of our ancient ways were much healthier and sustainable ways of living. Along the way, lots of myth-busting happened too; becoming an organic farmer does that to you. You change forever! The way you look at the world changes.

I questioned a lot of things, sought answers and one thing led to another and a sort of awakening of senses happened. I would learn how to do something and that would lead me to something else and so slowly yet steadily all the things I always wanted to do started presenting itself in full view. I also slowly went from being an apprehensive on-looker to a let-me-be-the-one-to-try-it doer.

I realized that I was taking risks; yes, big and small risks. I, who always lived a planned risk-free organised life, was now taking risks. What was I risking? Failure. Yes, that’s the biggest risk we are all afraid of. Because who in the right mind would quit a job when they are on the verge of a prestigious promotion with a high profile post.

Who would risk quitting a job that they are good at, which provided a steady income and a predictable routine, to something as unpredictable as, well…farming; which by the way I had no idea if I was even capable of doing!

I don’t know what was happening but I guess that’s what happens when God puts a strong desire in you and then steps back to watch the drama unfold!

By now the only thing that I certainly knew was this strong desire that had somehow found its way to my heart. I have read about passion and calling and things like that which never really made sense to me until then.

But I knew deep down that keeping the job won’t give me the time I needed to pursue my dream. So the decision, however heart-breaking, was taken. This is in no way implying that anyone should quit their job to realise their dreams; not at all! This is a personal decision requiring some deep thinking and weighing the pros and cons. For me, I had the security of my husband’s full-time job to rely on.

Somehow I knew it was time for this because two people working full time without even a weekend to fully spare will not help make this dream a reality. And for me, this seemed like a logical decision to step-down from the work force scenario and step-up towards realising my dreams, our dreams, because by now my husband had been fully engulfed in this love for farming too.

The decision to build a farmhouse was taken shortly as it didn’t quite make sense working and growing plants with no place to rest or enjoy the farm. Soon, it took roots and the work on the farmhouse started with full swing.

Farming involved lots of hard work, lots of physical labour – dirtying our hands, sweating and working under the scorching sun. Yeah, not the kind of work we were used to; but it gave us the joy nothing else did.

Slowly with other things there were some transformational changes that started making their presence felt. With each passing day I had a strong urge to break free of the consumerist shackles binding us in its vicious cycle. With every new learning, I was moving towards slowly blending my carefully built modern lifestyle with more of the sensible tried and tested old-world ways of life; of course with a dash of modern comforts, which I can’t live without.

Taking The Reins in Our Hands

When it came to farming, I wanted to do everything with an expert along my side, as we were novice in this field. I researched and attended a few workshops, grabbed opportunities to visit farms and interact with like-minded people. I was also looking for support and hand-holding for step-by-step setting up of my farm and learn about other sustainable resources; but I guess that wasn’t part of the grand plan. It so happened that we would wait and wait for the perfect timing to have an expert by our side to guide us and somehow it would not materialize.  After a never-ending wait and multiple failed attempts later, it dawned on use to take things in our own hands. We decided to learn by doing; learn by making mistakes; if that’s what it takes. We decided to become Self-Taught and Self-Made!

And what do you know, seems like it was a pretty good idea and a sensible decision too. This ended up helping us in many ways;

• We could work according to our own timeline
• We didn’t have to wait for someone
• We avoided a lot of frustration that comes with waiting and expectations
• Most importantly, we were putting all our theoretical knowledge into practice and learning hands-on. What could be better than that?

There is one draw-back to this approach though. This method definitely takes much longer to reach one's goals.

So my advice to you is - Start where you are, with what you have. If you find resources, grab it and learn from it. If not, learn, research and do whatever you can at the moment but keep moving forward.

This new journey also taught me some valuable life lessons along the way; to not be afraid to tread the unknown path…the path less travelled; not be afraid to break free of the cookie-cutter mould of life society teaches us to pursue; to not live life bound to a stereotype of what is expected of you.

We are a work in progress, we are bound to change and change is good.

During one of the self-doubting times I came across a quote;

“If you don’t make the time to work on creating the life you want, you’re eventually going to be forced to spend a lot of time dealing with a life you don’t want.” – Kevin Ngo

This right here made me sit up and make that decision. I didn’t want to regret later saying “what if I had”…and instead wanted to try and make it work. If I failed, I could always look at myself proudly without guilt and say “at least I tried”.

Don’t resist what you feel deeply! Take the plunge and see how your life could change! The possibilities are endless…You will never know if you never try. Take safer, smaller risks to see how it goes before you take some major steps.

I guess everyone reaches a point when we realize, we just have one life!

Do what you love and do what truly makes you happy!

Do something you would feel proud of, something that takes care of others and in all this, makes the world a better place.