VIII. Lindsey Baris from Rising Sun Farm & Orchard DEFINING: A Life Well Lived
A life well lived, for me, means living a life you are proud of. What relationships have you built? How do you interact with your local and non-local communities? How do you treat other people? And how do you treat yourself? There are a lot of layers to living a life you are proud of. Though I think people might get a little fixated on the things they are "supposed to do" to live a good life. We are bombarded by information and products about eating the "right" foods, having a yoga or meditation practice, being physically active, using the right straws... But I feel like getting caught up in the things we think we are supposed to do can cause further stress, guilt, and resentment to ourselves for not fulfilling the perfect way of living. And that's not living. I say, keep it simple. Instead of focusing on what products to buy or diet to do, let's use our energy for each other instead. It has been shown (by the 85-year running study from Harvard) that a big key to happiness is having relationships with other people. Not just your partner or your kids. Any interaction you have with another person, familiar or stranger, greatly affects your quality of life. How do you interact with the cashier at the store or the person in line at the bank or the farmer at your local market? It's easy to do your business and get out of there, but then how do we get to know our community outside of our inner circle? How will we relate to people who may be very different from us? How do we learn from them?
There is so much to gain by having community. I have based my occupation off building community. I see our farm as a gathering place. Apple u-pick is the best time of year because there are so many people enjoying the land. We invite people to our farm store any day throughout the year or to just walk through the woods or visit the animals. We grow food to nourish healthy bodies and share that as much as we can with communities who might not otherwise have access to quality food. We care for the soil, water, and air of our surroundings to the best of our abilities, which feed my soul even more than eating our amazing carrots. I feel like everything that we do is for the land and the people around us.
What I do for a living supports my well-being in more ways than having access to the best food in the world. I do have times of stress during the main growing season when there is weather, I can't control, various things eating our produce well before hitting the market, and a list of things to do so long it makes my head almost explode. It's important to stop and look around, often. The sense of appreciation I have for my surroundings, my lifestyle, and the community that I'm a part of makes all of it worth it. I recommend stopping and looking around everyday, no matter where you are. Acknowledge the birds, the leaves on the trees, and the person sitting next to you. We are all in this together and we can all help each other live great lives, by simply interacting and building relationships.
You can find our produce at Whole Earth co-op, Hudson Grocery co-op, River Falls Farmer's Market, or direct from the farm through our CSA or farm store.
W7901 830th Ave., River Falls, WI 54022
