Honestly I don't care about the little bit-o-money we'd save for working the farm but I thought it would be good for two reasons. 1) I could take my lil' sis out to the farm to show her what it's all about and where our food comes from and 2) it's always good to remind yourself how your food gets to your table so as not to take it for granted.
I went and picked up my LS and headed to the farm. I had been explaining to her what it was all about but taht I hadn't been here before either so it was going to be new for both of us. I explained that I had to work from 8 -12. That was our shift. I talked about realizing where food really came from - not the grocery store. Etc....
We get there and thankfully it had been a rainy morning and the temperature was tolerable. (even though you could swim in the humidity....) Our job that morning was (the two of us along with Mike and Zoe - two other workshare peeps) to weed and harvest kale. Which I found ironic. Or rather just funny since I NEVER know what to do with kale. Great stress was made on the importance of speed to get as much food with the smallest amount of effort adn time. Because we all know time is money!
It wasn't too bad. Or so I thought. It was better than lifting heavy crates all morning. I was fine all bent over pulling weeds and picking kale leaves... until I stood up. And that's when I was certain my body was going to break in half right at my hips. I was ok for the first two hours but by the last two hours I had to stop and lean back and stretch every so often. Of course I was working mostly with Zoe - a spry little 22 year old with no body problems in the world. Yeah - I was feeling old.
Where was my LS during all of this?? Good question. She's doesn't like to weed. She got bored picking leaves. She wandered over to the chicken and turkey for a while. When she came back whe made it clear that she was bored and wanted to go. I had to pull her aside and have a blunt conversation that I thought she was old enough and mature enough to handle this type of activity. Call it a kind, loving come-to-Jesus talk. I didn't expect her to work as hard as the rest of us. I just wanted her to see what was going on and try and keep herself occupied. I'm sure she never spends any time in the country. (as evidenced by her comment as we were leaving: "How come there's no po-lice out here?? I don't see no po-lice??")
She did admit on the way home that it was her fault she didn't have a good time. She said she "didn't do anything." and that prompted me to explain to her that sometimes in life you just have to buckle down and do things you don't like sometimes just to get it done.
I'm sure that all you parents out there are probably laughing at me - or at least smiling really big - about my expereiences as a big sis. And this might explain to some of you why I do not think that real parenting is for me. you guys are sooo much more cut out for it! Even just a few hours a week is really testing me. I am a bit disappointed in that it seems more like a chore when I schedule time with her. I'm really not enjoying it. But on the other hand I would never quit before my year committment is up because I do understand that my LS really needs this.
2 comments:
no offense, but i'm not sure i would enjoy 4 hours of manual labor or watching other people do manual labor.
maybe you could take a guided tour at a local museum, go to the movies, take a cooking class together, have a be a kid again day where you do fun stuff from childhood like watch a cartoon and color in some coloring books (maybe she missed a bit of her childhood along the way), go roller skating. just some ideas. i don't know what sort of guidelines you have to follow or how receptive your LS is.
4 hours is a long time, but now she will have a great topic to write about on that first day of school....and you could get a call from the NAACP..."Over summer break this white lady took my out to a field and made me pick weeds...." Yeah, expect a call from Jesse J any day!
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