[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1449″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” edgt_css_animation=””][vc_empty_space image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]As I sit here after a good hard long yet energizing day working on my farm, I find myself wondering, “how did I ever become a farmer?” I have to laugh at myself because earlier in my career, I would have never imagined buying a farm and becoming a farmer. How did I end up here and in this situation? I have to smile to myself as I think back to the day my son, Nathan, and I found this incredible place.
I guess I had been teaching people for years what foods to eat to promote a healthy mind and body. But as the years went on, I realized that it is not just what food choices we were making but considering where the food was coming from and how it was raised, is just as important. Is the food grown locally and organically and with love or laden with pesticides and herbicides or coming from thousands of miles away, causing it to be somewhat nutrient deficient? So, I began to develop the idea that maybe we could buy a home in the country with 5 – 10 acres to grow some food and build a greenhouse and possibly create a place where others can come to learn about natural living for good health. I guess I had it in my blood waiting to manifest into my life since my father was born and raised in a farm-town in Italy.
So, we looked for years and endured a heart-break situation where the place of our dreams, we thought, did not manifest after a real-estate agent blocked our offer for a home with 10 acres in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. After feeling as if we lost a loved-one, it took us an entire year of more looking and searching to miraculously stumble upon a piece of Mother Earth that made our hearts flutter and our moods uplift to beyond cloud 9.
We knew something good was going to happen as we sang along to a song by Kate Bush on a CD, where she sang those exact words. What a strange feeling. We just knew something was about to happen but we didn’t know what. I had a list of addresses scribbled on a piece of paper that I found on the internet and the first one was 280 Roaring Run Road. This was in Champion, PA, near Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Hidden Valley, Ohiopyle state park and of course not far from Ligonier. We decided after years of looking to focus on this part of the state because we love spending time there skiing, biking, hiking etc… So, why not choose a place we love to go to anyway?
As we came down the hill on Roaring Run, I looked off to my left and saw this piece of land (see the photo above). The very first thing that came out of my mouth was, “wow, whoever owns that land is so lucky”. I had no idea that this was the place that was for sale that we were about to arrive at and buy. As we looked at the addresses along the road and found ourselves pulling in to a driveway that led to an ugly old brown farmhouse, I looked up to my left and noticed that we were pulling in right next to the very land that I was admiring as we drove down the road. So, being sure that we could not be so lucky to be looking at a sale of that very land, I called the real-estate agent and asked, “where is the property line for this place?”. He answered, “the tree line all the way up to your left.” What?! The very land that I commented about as beautiful as soon as I laid my eyes upon it? Unbelievable!
So, we got out of car and started walking toward the farmhouse. We were not super excited by the site of that as it was old, ugly, and a drab dark brown color. I immediately noticed a small wooden building next to the farmhouse with a stone foundation and I called the real-estate agent again and said, “what is this building next to the farmhouse?” He proceeded to answer, “it is the springhouse.” “The springhouse? I replied. Does this farm have spring water?” Little did he know that one of my dreams was to find a place with a natural spring to be able to enjoy fresh spring water. He said, “yes, the spring feeds the farmhouse.” OMG! I repeated what he said to my son who immediately said, “mom, just buy it. don’t hesitate another second.” I immediately texted the agent – “I’m very interested”.
Little did I know that my life was about to take me in the most miraculous direction I could ever want or expect. Having a farm has been one of the hardest things I have ever done but by far the most rewarding and fulfilling (next to having my son). As I look back and think to myself that if I would have planned my entire life out in great detail, I would have never chosen as a young adult to buy a farm and become a farmer. Thank goodness that I did not plan every detail of my life. Because, as I have let life unfold and lead me in various directions, I have stumbled upon the most uplifting and fulfilling experience I could have never imagined in a million lifetimes.
So, from a corporate MBA to a Holistic Health Counselor, I am proud to announce, that I am now a farmer.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]