Farm Fresh Blog

 Sometimes we get so caught up in the swirling eddies of the mainstream current we forget that we know how to swim. Each day we are so bombarded by voices which clamor for our attention that the sound becomes a background of static white noise. In addition to the television, the radio, the computer, the smart phone, the office, and the family, there is that voice in the back of your head, the whispering voice which cannot be heard over the rising din of the others.

Like a swimmer lulled by the promise of calm waters, it is easy to be swept away in the rip current. We turn on the television for a bit of background noise, just to touch base with the outside world, and before we realize it, that open door has become an invitation to chaos and negativity. Talk show hosts pontificate like experts on subjects they don't even understand, and given just a rough outline of facts, the news media fills in the rest, planting rumors like hints of things to come. Stay tuned because there is more tragedy, more gore, more tears, more in-depth coverage. Just stay tuned.

I gave this some thought today as I found myself paying bills, and becoming caught up by the mindless screeching of television hosts trying to talk over each another, making one outrageous statement after another in an attempt to appear knowledgeable about politics. The static in my head got louder and louder as I tried to swim out of the swirling current of people pretending to be important. Then I had an epiphany - just change the channel. Stop giving them any of your attention.  I found some nice calming Hawaiian music to take me to my happy place. While there I gave some thought to the calm in the storm.

I live a lifestyle where I can recognize that peaceful place. I know where to find it. This fact alone makes it so much easier to realize when it's time to step away from the grasping fingers which clutch and cling for my attention. 

This is why the world needs dairy goats. Everyone needs a reason to turn the television off and go outside. Put down your smart phone. You can't just throw feed at the animals and go back into the house, back to the draw of the magic box of voices. You have to sit down behind a goat, and listen to her hum as she thoughtfully eats, listen to the ping of the milk hitting the bucket. You can't rush a goat. The milk comes as it comes, and the bucket fills in its own sweet time.  It is a period of forced meditation.  The goat is your yogi. Teaching you to slow down. No hurry. No worry.

Slow down and listen to the whisper. Listen. God doesn't shout. He whispers.