My favorite farm truck, Hebron, N.Y.

  June 24, 2008 – Life on a farm is sometimes insane. Today, Lowe’s brought the new clothes dryer, which is good, the vet came to see a sick sheep, we had to kill the sheep, graze the sheep, drive to Saratoga, food shop, fix a fence, go look at a new car (small pickup, no frills, a departure for me), and all at the same time. Then it stormed, much thunder and lightning. On such mornings, you just put your head down deal with things and then, suddenly, it was over, and things are done or not.

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 I get a lot of e-mail, much of it on the subject of regrets I think. People are often telling me they wish they lived on a farm, lived with animals, had a different life, pursued their private passions – painting, photography, Web design, poetry, writing.
 A farm.
  They often tell me I am living their life. I never know what to make of that, other than to feel it is always a mistake to want to live someone else’s life, partly because you need to live your own, and partly because you never know what somebody else’s life is like unless you are in it. Living with animals does not bring happiness in itself. Nor does a farm. Just ask most farmers.
  It’s well meaning to tell somebody you want to live their life, but on the receiving end, it is uncomfortable, because  it can only be based on a notion or fantasy, not any truth.
  But I know what they mean. They feel stuck, trapped, or frustrated, and a farm with animals seems sometimes a richer escape. And I think, well, if you want to do it, do it. There are a lot of rundown farms out there, all kinds of animals in need of a home.
  In these exchanges, the theme of encouragement comes up all the time, and I was talking with a friend about it, and she said someone’s encouragement had meant all the difference to her.
  She wanted to write a book, didn’t think she could possibly do it, and a friend urged her to try, told her she could. So she did. Mary Kellogg told me encouragement made all the difference in her emergence as a poet.
Encouragement, much from this blog,  helped me become a photographer, keeps me writing, gives me energy and strength.
  I wonder if it could be so simple, the idea that some people simply need to be encouraged in order to liberate their inner spirits, fulfill some of their dreams. Sometimes life intervenes – tragedy, money, love, illness, misfortune, war –  things that can stand between somebody and their inner spirits.
  But sometimes it is so simple. It might make an interesting test. Think of someone you know who has always wanted to do something, but not done it. Encourage them. Tell them they can do it. Tell them they should do it.
   Sometimes, I think it is that simple, so it’s worth pursuing on the off-chance it is so.
   See if it works.