Update (7/25): Cancelled, updated post to follow. Update (5/29): Post-poned indefinitely while I focus on my mental health. ----------------------------------------------------- The sun bore down from the Alabama sky, forcing me to break for water every 15 minutes. My back stiffened from me bending over to weed the garden but my knees would never stand for squatting. My hands turned black as I unscrewed orange and purple carrots out of the dirt, taking care to keep the top intact. Blindly diving into the dirt for potatoes of various shapes, sizes and colors caked the dirt on thicker. And I loved every sweaty, filthy minute of it. In the summer of 2015, my move to Portland was on the horizon. I worked as a receptionist but on my days off, I worked at a farm in Slocomb, creating some of my most beloved memories of the summer. As September came closer, I fantasized about working in Oregon as a farmhand with a place to stay in exchange for my hard work. I could work all day with animals and the earth. Then at night, I could read and write to my heart’s content. Instead, with the help of my English degree, I got a corporate job in accounting. Don't worry, the irony is not lost on me. Let me pause before saying I *hate* my job. I love the people I work with. I have benefits and the paycheck allows me to go on adventures to national parks on the weekends. However... When I sit at my desk job now, I think about the farm - castrating sheep on my first day, mowing a field with a full-blown tractor, taste-testing blueberries as I plucked them from the bushes. I think about the time spent outside - the fresh air that smelled of feed, animals and rain, the sunshine in moderation, the quiet calm disrupted by moos, bleats and clucks. I think about how I looked - hands solid black from dirt, legs speckled with sweat and sunscreen, always a hat on my head. I think about how I felt - accomplished, challenged, educated, entertained, always among friends. |
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AuthorAshton Varner: Class Clown. Lover of Food. Adventurer. Archives
May 2024
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