[mj14]

One of the things about depression is that it can make it so hard to enjoy anything...the simple act of having fun seems almost completely out of reach. So I just wanted to talk a little about something I found that lifted that dark curtain for a few hours every week.

This year, I bought a share in a CSA farm. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture...CSA farms are small, usually organic, farms where the farmer sells shares to cover the cost of operating the farm, and then the shareholders receive a portion of the harvest. In this way, the risk is divided up among a large number of people...you pay the same amount whether there is a bumper crop or a failed crop...so the small farmer doesn't risk going bankrupt from one bad season. Anyone who wants to read more about CSA's, you can look at http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/ . There is also a listing of CSA farms at that site, for anyone who might want to see if there is a farm near them.

So, every Friday since the week before Memorial Day, I have driven out to this farm to pick up my share of produce. Most things are harvested by the farm staff, and are set out in a little farm stand. But they also have things every week that are "pick your own". The big event of the opening week is picking strawberries. My share was small, only a pint, so the challenge was trying to pack them in the container just the right way to get as many as possible in there.

My trips to the farm became the highlight of my week. A could hardly wait for noon on Fridays, when I could head out of work, put the top down on my car and drive out into the country. Soaking up the sun as I drove, and then out in the pick-your-own fields...it was the perfect way to release all of the tension of the work week. And I've learned all kinds of new vegetables, that I might never have tried before. I even canned some food, for the first time ever. There was never a week when I wasn't happy and excited about going up there. I don't know that I can remember anything, even fun things, that I never wanted to skip.

As I would drive into the farm, I always checked out the crops...looking for that first red tomato or ripening pepper, looking to see if there are beets, or broccoli, or onions, or whatever. Now as I drive in, most of the fields are planted with cover crop for the winter. The drive up there is a fiery display of fall leaves. Next week is the last pickup, and my Friday outings will be done for the year. I'm going to miss it, but it also feels kind of natural to be winding down as everything goes to sleep for the winter.

Sorry for rambling on about this...I'm sure it must seem kind of trivial. But it brought something back to me that the depression had taken away, the ability to find joy in the little things. To me, this wasn't just going to pick up vegetables, but therapy.

[SweetCrusader]

Thanks for sharing that! Actually, I really enjoyed reading it Not trivial.

Angela

[Wants2Fly]

Not trivial at all. It's great to be reminded that there are many simple things to appreciate in the world. I didn't know about these community owned farms, so I learned a neat new thing, too.

I'm so glad that this was a joyful thing for you.

Once I wrote a book called "How to be Happy" (boy, those were the days). My spiritual mentor said, "Happy means you are depending on things outside of yourself to make you happy. It comes from the word happenstance. Joy is what you feel from God-consciousness."

That has really been true to me. It seems to me that you are describing joy. The Sufis say that all of nature praises God -- that the trees are singing to God, and each creature, with its chirp or whinny or mew or bark, is praising God. That even the vegetables and plants are emitting energetic waves that are their language.

So it seems to me that you have described a truly joyous experience. I loved reading about it. So many good, happy things on the general forum tonight.

<font color="purple">Thank you so much for sharing!!!!!!! </font>

[downsolong]

<font color="green"> </font> That is so cool! Thanks. -Down

[Rapunzel]

Jo,

I very much enjoyed reading this. It makes me want to get into gardening again. The last few years the furthest I have gotten with it is half-hearted attempts and beginnings. My kids want to garden too. Thanks for sharing.

I absolutely love your post. If only more communities would do this. I tried to get it going here one time, no luck. I think it's wonderful that it meant so much to you! And I know about strawberries! Pat

[SweetSunshine]

MJ, that is so cool!!!! WE have a garden, we grow our own potatoes and corn , tomatoes,beans, peas, beets,onions, and I have a few herbs too. I love gardening. Most of the veggies are at the family farm about 15 miles away from home. But eventually we would like to buy more property by our house to garden here. It would be so much easier and enjoyable. I dont know how many of you have ever had Lavender cookies, but they are soooo good. You use the flower of the lavender plant, and the cookie is like a sugar cookie. Really wonderful and different. I learned the receipe at my local nursery, where they had an open house in the fall. And on top of that it makes the house smell sooo good! I am very much into flower gardening too. And I have peach trees, which I froze and also made peach jam of of this year. I think I got about 20 quarts of frozen peaches and about 30 pints of jam which i give to family and friends as a treat to them. Its a wonderful way of sharing a bit of your life with them and not all of them have time to do this. Thanks for sharing everything with us!! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hugz~
Tryin

[SeptemberMorn]

The way you describe the scenery makes it really easy to picture! Feel like I went on that last ride with you. How beautiful! Now I'm wishing I was back on the farm.