Yesterday our heat lamp fell into our brooder and burned
through the bedding, the plastic and the rolling dolly I had the brooder set
on. We were lucky in that we discovered it before it had the chance to ignite
and burn down the garage. We were lucky but this Springs chicks were not.
Life on a small farm is not without its successes and
triumphs but that is not what this post is about. This post is about failures
and setbacks. No matter what you do on a small farm you will have failures and
setbacks. I have had quite a few. From hail storm ravaged gardens to rabbits
that wouldn’t mother their young. Some are my fault either through ignorance or
mistake and some are simple acts of random chance.
As
small farmers we invest so much of ourselves into our farms. From hours
carefully tending gardens and herding flocks to time spent constructing pens
and buildings we shape and mold our farms to be a reflection of our desires and
dreams. For some this may be an intricately integrated vegetable garden with
carefully plotted and planted varieties, plants that were selected with promise
and tended with love and affection. For some of us it is a flock of busy little
hens whose antics and names came to be dear to us over the hours we spend with
them caring for their needs. And when we
invest so much of our hearts, minds and dreams in our farms it can be an especially
difficult blow when disaster strikes. Failures on the homestead can crush your
heart. Any time an animal dies I feel it is my fault, that I messed up in some
way in care or prevention of harm. That can be an especially heavy burden
indeed.
There
may be some luck few out there that will avoid all calamities but for the rest
of us the question isn’t if but when and where disaster will strike. We have
had many failures and setback and if you are a homesteader or small farmer than
my guess is so have you. So what can we
do about it. First from the outset decide that you will have setbacks and that
they may sadden you but that they will not stop you. Stiffen your resolve
before it is even tested so that when the blow comes you have something to lean
on. Second see destruction as a teacher. If you are observant you will find
that every failure has a lesson in it. Whether that lesson is specific such as
a hole in your fence or more general such as you can’t control everything is up
to you. But I urge you to find these lessons as they will make you and your farmstead better with every realization.
