Practical Ways to Renew and Refresh in the Seeding Rush

As soon as the calendar turns to April, and you can hear water running, the pace of the farmer’s footsteps pick up. Are you ready ? No matter how busy the spring season gets with calving, seeding, draining water, working on more committees or doing double loads of muddy laundry, we all need to find ways to renew and refresh.

Self-renewing people seem to get a lot done, and still not act harried or talk irrationally.

These folks are:

self-pacing. They realize there are only so many hours in a day to accomplish things, so they focus on the main thing. They keep up their sleep routine, and don’t burn the candle at both ends.
good at finding solitude. I listened to Dr Lou (www.drlou.ca) speak about injury prevention, his passion, and he implored us to stop talking on cell phones while driving. Fifty-percent of accidents are totally preventable, and Dr. Lou has convinced me to find solitude when I am driving, rather that multi-tasking on my cell and being distracted. I know a lot of you have your cell phones glued to your ear in the busy season, but how about shutting it off for 20 minutes after lunch to have a nap !
fueling your body. Some of the best money we have spent is on a water cooler for our kitchen, and for our seed plant office. Water feeds your brain. When your brain is hydrated it makes better decisions, and your body functions at an optimum level. Instead of fretting about how deep you planted the barley, drink water, set the seeder, and do it right the first time ! Buy some decent water bottles, so that everyone has a few, as tractor seats are good at hiding things !... Heidi Bates, an Edmonton-based nutritionist, calls us all to eat a good breakfast. She knows a gal who commutes to work with a thermal mug of milk, and a bag of cheerios, so that she can eat on the run. My hubby’s snack stash of choice is granola bars, and almonds. Carrot sticks, cereal bars, oranges, juice boxes, nuts, sunflower seeds and pretzels are all great things to have in a box in the truck and tractors, and the kid taxi van. Cheese sticks are great protein ,but need to be kept cool. Skipping meals to “save time” is nuts. Do your body and brain a favour, and eat throughout your long days. Stop drinking coffee after 3 cups, and switch to water or tomato juice. If you are sick of drinking plain water, buy the individual packets of Crystal Light flavoured crystals to add to your water bottle. You spend thousands of dollars on diesel for your tractor, why wouldn’t you give yourself permission to buy healthy snacks that will fuel you ? Home baking is a treat, but only 27% of Canadians cook from scratch anymore, thank your cookie baker !
playful and creative. Finding ways to have fun while you are working is an energy booster. I give our tractor driver, the key seeding operator, a bag of his favourite candies on the first day of seeding. This is a token of our appreciation for the work he faithfully performs for our livelihood, and it is a way of encouraging his heart as he spends dawn to dusk in the tractor seat. If there is dust on the back of the fertilizer truck, I’ll leave a smiley face or heart message. A cheery greeting on voicemail, and a note tucked into the lunch bag help affirm all the hard work being done. Employees who find flat stones in the field know I appreciate them for garden paths, and this gives more purpose to a menial task.
keeping the first things first. Self-renewing people are value-driven, and they know what is important. They “walk the talk”. In our business we serve a lot of customers in the spring, and they know they can call late in the day, or convey their concerns, and they will be dealt with in a timely, friendly fashion. Our family time is preserved on Sundays, when the air-seeder is silent. Pausing is important, and if you need a weekly reminder, sign up at www.pauseworks.com for my friend Pat Katz’s pause e-zine. We are all just one heart attack away from a disaster, so let’s learn to refresh and renew .
pray. Seeds dying to become vibrant seedlings is a true miracle. Take time to reflect on the Creator, and His goodness to you. Be grateful that you are a faithful steward of the land. Plant seeds of hope and optimism by the way you treat others on your farm team.

“Common sense is uncommon practice.” Many of these tips are not new to you, you just needed a reminder. I love the smell of spring earth, and watching the green seedlings burst forth. I am more excited about people who make small steps towards living a healthy life. Remove all hurriedness from your life, smell the air, feel the earth, and have a wonderful seeding season !

Elaine Froese is a catalyst for courageous conversations and intentional life design. Call 1-866-848-8311 or visit www.elainefroese.com to see past Grainews articles, and order her award winning book “Planting the Seed of Hope”.

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