It’s been a long day. You’ve spent most of it at work, in your office. Now you’re home, scrolling on social media when you come across a stunning mountain landscape.
And immediately, you feel like you want to go there. Unfortunately, until humankind figures out teleportation, that’s not possible, so you settle for taking a walk and maybe buying a house plant. It’s a temporary fix.
Of course, there’s a group that doesn’t just visit nature, they’re on a first-name basis with it.
It’s a raw, unforgiving, relentless world, but it’s also real. Very real. It’s those people who live in the countryside, who work the land and manage those farms/livestock. And no, no one is telling you to go and buy a goat. That won’t do. What I’m talking about is people who TRULY live connected to nature. You know, the way people used to live before all this urbanization happened. Not those Instagram/Pinterest fluffy, romantic kinds of ways.
No, no. The REAL deal.
The land is your boss, and the animals are your partners.
And you quickly learn that this life teaches you patience and humility, and those scenic views are just a backdrop.
What Working With Animals Every Day Teaches You About Nature
It’s not like you start working with farm animals and you suddenly become more aware of nature because of it.
But you spend your entire day outside; no checking your phone, no sipping coffee and relaxing, no sleeping in. You know the weather like the back of your hand, and you learn to feel the thickness in the air building before the storm hits. You look up at the morning sky to get information, not to take a selfie against it. Oops, those clouds look kinda purple. Better secure the gate because the wind is coming.
You know, stuff like that.
There are a thousand tiny details city folks overlook, but someone living off the land simply can’t like the particular sound of the chickens getting restless when they notice a hawk circling them or the sheep being bunched up and nervous instead of lazily grazing.
The ground under your boots isn’t scenery but a source of information, like, is it too muddy for the goats today, or is the pasture getting thin?
I’d say this is the polar opposite of a nature retreat.
There’s no romance here (although I think much of that is fake, but never mind). You bond with nature because you have to, and your thinking is in terms of cause and effect. You being comfortable comes second to everything else: the plants, the animals, the water, the soil, etc.
You see this on farms all the time.
Businesses, such as Paragon Farm, that specialize in equipment (fences, gates, etc.) for farms that deal with small livestock (e.g., sheep, goats, etc.) help these farms deal with and withstand everyday stresses/occurrences such as wet springs, uneven/sloped ground, or even animals that push and probe the fences and gates for any weak spots. Cheap alternatives just won’t cut it here.
And farms that don’t use great quality equipment to manage their livestock would fall apart.
It’s not the clock that sets your schedule but what’s happening out there, on the land.
How Nature Shapes the Way We Work
If you want to have your own schedule or at least have a flexible one, then you’re out of luck. Most people know that this is pure luxury. And people who have it and don’t realize the privilege they have… well, let’s not get into that.
We see people’s schedules being dictated every day. 9-5 jobs. Going home and having to do all the household work/chores. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Kids. Sleep. That’s pretty much the day.
Some even call it ‘routine’.
If you live off the land, you live by routine. Nature sets the schedule, and you simply follow it.
No other choice here.
Seasons Change the Job
Most people just watch the seasons change.
Sure, we put on a heavier coat in December and comment on the pretty leaves in October, but when you’re responsible for living things, it’s different.
Take spring, for instance. It’s not a gentle shift but a frantic marathon of births.
Vacation in the summer? No way, you need to keep the water flowing and the grass growing, which isn’t easy thanks to the scorching sun.
Fall makes you anxious because you rush to get everything ready before the cold hits, and winter? That’s a long test of all that preparation.
Weather Decides More Than You Think
Before you know what you’re doing today, you need to check the sky first.
And with our climate getting more unpredictable, that can be stressful. Even if it looks like it’s going to rain, it doesn’t mean you get a day off; it just means your plan has to change. Scrub the fencing project you meant to finish.
Animals Help You Understand the Land
The coolest part is that animals become your partners.
They translate things for you, things you’d never figure out on your own. If you see that the whole herd is avoiding a certain patch of grass, something’s off with the soil there. If they’re restless for no apparent reason, it might be that the barometric pressure is dropping and there’s a storm coming.
Conclusion
Even though there are slots of sweat and hard work, not only do you get some beautiful views, but you also learn how to listen. You swap your to-do list for something more flexible, a schedule that can change in an hour.
You’re in constant conversation with the earth, and the coolest part is that you can steal some of this for yourself right now.
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