I know I'm a good problem solver - I'm able to assess and react accordingly to any given situation that comes my way. Unfortunately, I'm usually a horrible anxious mess leading up to and even during the event/disaster. So to prepare for Dorian, I tried to stay occupied. I woke up early, checked the weather station a million times, then got dressed and went outside to wrap the tunnels with as much rope as I could find. I even moved everything I could carry inside, including the bbq! Once I thought I was done checking everything, I checked everything again, until it got too windy and rainy to physically do anything. And then I left the farm...
Yes, this farmer wasn't going to sit around looking at the tunnels for hours while hearing the old farm house creaking. Nope! I left and headed to my folks' house and had a glass of wine and 'tried' to eat supper. My parents live around the corner from the farm, in the house where I grew up. Unlike the farm, it's nicely nuzzled in the woods and far away from the howling wind. They were so kind to have me over cause I sure wasn't the best company. I stayed there overnight till the storm had fully passed and then made my way back to the farm. I held my breath the entire drive back until we peaked over the hill and saw the farm down in the little valley. The sight of those perfect tunnels standing tall and strong was the gift I was hoping for. I walked the fields with the biggest smile and celebrated with a few jigs. I know I am lucky and am tremendously thankful for having weathered the stormed so nicely...well, other than my nerves that is.
While Dorian howled and poured down on our little Island, my mind wandered to all the sweet cherry tomatoes, beautiful eggplants, crunchy peppers and juicy melons that we have yet to enjoy. All that work, dedication, love, patience, and it could easily be gone! If everything was destroyed in the storm, I wondered how I would fill the vegetable baskets? I wondered how my members would react? I wondered why, of all the professions, did I choose to be a farmer???!
The lesson the farm persistently tries to teach me is patience, impermanence and letting go. I can't say that I'm always a great student, but I have to say that I really appreciate the farm's dedication. So let us celebrate these cherry tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and melons - the fruits of the tunnels - because none of us know when or how their season will end.