Spinning – Words to Wheels

April 28, 2013

At this time Tuesday night I will be unemployed. Okay, so I’ll technically be self employed. What brought me to this place? A few years ago I would have thought professional help was warranted for quitting my dream job to work full time on our farm.

But then it got to the point where it felt like I really did need the loving embrace of a therapist’s couch.

Too much running up and down the road. Too many fast food bags. Too many eye drops from staring at a computer screen. Too much chaos.

So, after 26 months of marriage to a farmer, and 70 miles from house to office, and countless tears of frustration, the dream job was feeling a little more nightmarish. So I quit. I gave notice. It felt good.

Then I panicked.

See the panic came from actually, truly loving what I do, er, did, er, soon to be did done. Being a communication and publications director for the Wyoming Stock Growers is amazing. Telling the story of the Wyoming livestock industry was interesting, exciting, rewarding. I got to travel, be creative, have a presence, meet good people, have an impact. It was a real ego boost. And I love the people I work with, from staff to membership to partners.

So what had I done? I sat around for hours that day in March, shaking, feeling on the verge of tears, on the verge of hyperventilating, on the verge of chickening out. But, I walked down that hallway, sat in front of my boss and told him I was leaving and it was up to him how long he wanted to keep me around, as long as it didn’t go past April 30. I didn’t even cry. Okay, I cried. But not until the end, and only a little bit. Then I got in my car and bawled.

Why had I done it? Because I’m crazy. And because I married an amazing, loving, driven man who farms. And our farm is not only an hour away from my office, it is also growing and gaining momentum. I want to jump in and let the momentum sweep me in the direction my husband is going. I watched my parents work together growing up. I saw that it wasn’t easy, but I also saw that it was amazing. They have always been a team in most aspects of life. I want to be a teammate, a true partner with my husband.

So here we go, off on a crazy adventure called production agriculture. Wish me luck!

God Bless You and American Agriculture,
Liz