Headwaters Homestead

“In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between them, there are doors.”

William Blake

While these legendary Doors were great, the ones I am talking about are much less dark and cynical…although Jim Morrison was an amazing poet, a madman genius in his time, the doors in our life are far less tumultuous!

I was driving home the other day when I noticed it. In the early morning, my weary eyes took in a brilliant sight. The shrubs had started to bloom, trees were turning green, flowers were blooming and in our little corner of the world things were coming back to life. After a long cold slumber, the greening was upon us. I’m sure it had been happening for a little while prior to me noticing, an all too often occurrence where our eyes are open but we are not truly seeing what is in front of us.

The realization that spring was truly here was a blessing to my soul. We have been longing for and planning our upcoming season on the homestead. Seeds have been sown, hens are laying a dozen eggs a day, the chicken tractor that Todd and Jackson built sits in wait of its new residents, garden beds are being amended and prepared for planting. We walk the property dreaming about the future and planning our next moves, staking out new raised beds and another big addition to the south field…a floating deck with the pergola Todd put up last year.

Our homestead and the world around us are in a liminal space. The doors between the known and the unknown. The ending of one season and beginning of another. Liminal space is a stage of transition, a period of ambiguity and uncertainty that occurs during moments of significant change. Where the old rules no longer apply and the new rules have yet to be established. Liminal space is the place between the “what was” and the “what’s next” making it a space of great potential. While the concept was always familiar to me, it wasn’t until my friend and co-worker mentioned “liminal space” that I truly understood its meaning. Thank you, Robert!! Shameless plug for my friend and author who has penned two books. “The Wayman’s Code: Awakening” and “The Wayman’s Code: Darkness” are both available on Amazon and through his website https://www.rjwilsonwrites.com Robert is just one of those people who you can talk to about anything and everything and his perspective is always so diverse, educated and welcome!

Liminal space can be seen in many different contexts, from the physical transition from one place to another, to the psychological and emotional transition from one stage of life to the next. While liminal space can often be associated with moments of uncertainty, its also a space of great opportunity. As individuals, we can use this time of transition to reflect on our lives, values and goals. To re-examine our beliefs and explore new possibilities. And yes, that also comes with a ton of vulnerability and uncertainty, but we must keep sight of the potential it brings. It is a time to reflect and think about our lives in new ways. To take risks and try new things, allowing us to explore new paths and create new opportunities.

The greening is happening all around us in nature and I cant help but to think about the greening of our lives. Todd and I have said for years now that we will “keep on doing what we gotta until we can do what we wanna.” Our seasons of “what we gotta” far outweigh the seasons “what we wanna.” In this liminal period, we have been turning our waiting room into a classroom by absorbing and learning all we can about building our business and making small steps toward working from our farm full time. And as hard as it is sometimes to wait, we know what lies ahead, over the next threshold and through the next door. We are holding on to our dream knowing that we are always moving forward, doing the next right thing that is in front of us and working with what we have in our hands right now.

During a recent dinner conversation, Todd and were talking about how there’s never enough time. My response to that was that I just want a normal life (and by normal I mean having the ability to work from home, sleep at night and work endless hours on our farm to support ourselves!) Then Todd said something that really struck me. He said “I don’t want normal, I want an extraordinary life.” Talk about speaking to my heart! Yes! We do not want to live per the status quo. We want to be as far from that as possible and that means making plans to break free. Every small thing we have done in the three years we’ve had our homestead has been leading us to where we want to be. Are we there yet? Not quite. Is it slow and excruciating sometimes? Yes! Is it worth every painful yet glorious moment? Absolutely!

I was listening to a podcast on that same drive home where I first noticed the greening and it struck a chord.

“I would love to see a culture shift because this whole system of work your life away to pay for he insurance that helps with the sickness that comes from the food that you eat…there is this circle in the medicines and all of the stuff and it’s all connected and there are so many people that are benefitting off the masses staying in this circle that we expect to get 65 years of work in for 10 years of retirement.”

Jessica Sowards

Folks, this is why we are working so hard every day to break away from the circle. Stepping out of the comfort zone of the status quo and forging our own path. In doing so, we are constantly evaluating what we can do right now with what we have. And even when we find ourselves in that liminal space during the changing of seasons in our life, we always look forward to the greening.

Aim for the impossible and extraordinary things will happen.

What steps are you taking to break on through to the other side?!

Thank you for being here and for watching us grow!