Country — January 17, 2018

76 COUNTRY-MAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

My Steadfast Journey

ON THE FARM

Though my thoughts may wander, the path to the barn

never leads my feet astray.

Life may change,

but farm chores

remain constant.

BY EMILY GIBSON Everson, Washington

WORDS of WISDOM Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy. —Jacques Maritain

T

wice each day I walk

the same downhill

path to the barn for

chores. Sometimes I’m

half asleep, sometimes

weary from working a long day in

town. I walk most often in the

dark, sometimes sliding on icy

snow or slipping in mud from

unending rain, sometimes wading

through a sea of overgrown grass.

The constant in this twice-daily

journey is the path itself and where

it always takes me, no matter the

time of year, the weather, or how

temporarily difficult it is to discern.

I have learned the way by feel as

much as by sight—the twist here,

the dip there, the aromatic stretch

through the stand of wild mint—all

while trying to avoid stepping on

the playful farm dogs or the barn

cat underfoot.

I prefer to take the demarcated

path to the barn because it keeps

me focused on the task ahead of

me. If I deviate, I’ll surely find

weeds to pull, a woodpecker to

admire, a cluster of cherries to eat,

or a sweet pea blossom to smell.

The distraction may be welcome,

but so much work remains. I must

find my way back to the path and

stick to it.

As a teenager, I was a trailblazer,

bushwhacking my way through

brambles to see what might be on

the other side, simply to prove I

was stronger than the brush. In my

middle age, I tend to stick to the

familiar. I like knowing where my

feet will land, what work my hands

will touch, and where my head

will rest. The adventure of the

unknown, so attractive in my

youth, is less appealing now. The

visible path, even when difficult to

follow due to cover of snow, sea of

mud or abundance of overgrowth,

is reassurance that I have a purpose

and a destination. I can see where I

am going.

We tread many paths during our

time on this soil—some mundane,

leading to barns and chores, and

others a matter of faith, trust, heart

and spirit. As tempting as it is to

deviate from the path, it is there for

a reason. It is rarely straight. But it

must be true, steadfastly leading us

to where we are called and back

again to where we belong.

It’s time to pull on my boots.