The First Year in Pictures: Weekend at the Farm

10-8-10 through 10-10-10:

My grandma lives on a farm in the northwest corner of Iowa. If you are familiar with Iowa, you'll know that there's NOTHING in northwest, Iowa. As a kid we used to spend a week there every summer. I didn't truly appreciate then, the quiet of the country. All I knew is that there was no cable TV, no mall, no movie theater. It was boooring....

Now, I understand the value of a weekend at the farm. The quiet. The lack of distractions and busyness. Its slow pace and fresh air and calm. I am forced to relax. To enjoy the small moments. I don't have any projects that I could be doing. I don't have any errands to run. I don't have TV shows to catch up on. I can actually take a walk and not rush, worrying about getting home to start dinner or trying to fit in a trip to the hardware store before it closes. I can curl up in a chair and read for hours without worrying that I should be taking the dogs to the park or starting laundry.

I better understand now the value of spending time with my grandma and my uncle. I appreciate the time I am given with them. It makes me smile to see how happy Grandma is to "show off" her grand-daughter and grandson-in-law at church. How excited she is to take us into town and show us the fair grounds, or to sit at the table after dinner and share with us her most recent poems.

I understand that although time is slower at the farm, it still passes all too quickly and before I know it, I won't have anymore time with her. So, I cherish the rare weekends that I get to visit.

This past weekend was one of those rare visits. Austin and I made the 7+ hour trek Friday after school and stayed through Sunday dinner. I loved sharing with him a piece of my childhood and a part of me that is often hidden. The piece that longs for peace and calm. That enjoys walking gravel roads to a scenic bridge. That needs silence and time to close my eyes and feel the sun and wind of my face. It's a side of me that gets neglected in the non-stop pace of my life, but is given reign at the farm.

I think that after adjusting to the culture shock, Austin appreciated the languid lifestyle of the farm as well and I hope we make trips more frequently in the future....