Today marks the first day of spring, on the calendar. But, as I write this near my garden facing window there is still 6inches or more of snow covering our raised beds. In Western New York spring really won’t begin for another month. We are in the waiting season on the farm. Like the bees just starting to slowly buzz in their hives in anticipation our task list is slowly starting to increase as we prepare to burst forth into the 2023 growing season. It is a busy time, but also a resting time. We can do a lot to prepare like sow seeds in the greenhouse, map out our pasture rotation, and anticipate our harvest but it is sort of a hurry up and wait time as most chores are weather depending.
In our personal life Kelby and I are expecting our fourth child, our first girl and she is certainly keeping us waiting with baited breath to meet her. My due date is this week and sometimes I feel like a ticking time bomb, while other moments I feel as though I will be pregnant forever.
The waiting season is a time of testing, of preparing and of defining. It is one to be embraced because how we perform in the training, in the waiting can determine the outcome of the actual race. When that moment finally comes, when spring finally breaks forth! So how do we embrace this time? Instead of looking ahead to far into the future I have been trying to focus on each day as it comes. Planning simple things to look forward to and being pleasantly surprised when our chicks hatch, or a new seedling germinates. I find that rejoicing in the tiny things they become so numerous that we forget the bigger things we are waiting on.
So whether you are in a season of waiting, or in the midst of a busy time how are you managing balance? Remember to take time for yourself, your family and the things that you love. Happy Spring!