When you raise food, crops for vittles for other people’s dinner tables, there are plenty of Maine farming obstacles along the way.

Like life, weather is never predictable or plain and simple easy. Having enough of the proper seed is pretty critical, important too.

The rows and rows of fertile soil hills cultivated and hoed. With the right trickle of water to hydrate the growing operation. Fertilized with the balance of nutrients needed to get big healthy yields of food stuffs. Then harvested, wisked in to storage until the bin is peddled and emptied. Hopefully you at least broke even so you can do it all over again next spring as you survive on a Maine farm.

Some people get through life easier than others.

Despite twists, turns, set backs and log jams. Overall able to stay pretty even keeled, grateful. You know you have met someone with way way harder struggles to deal with. The death of a child. A major illness that goes on and on like a recurring cancer. But still possessing a positive, faithful attitude despite it all. And you think would you have the same viewpoint if it was you with the extra helping of pain and suffering added to your plate? Be so chipper if wearing the same moccasins?

Back to picking rocks, a job some not exposed to Maine farm work could equate to hard time wearing stripes on a prison chain gang.

I saw a Farmall red “H” pulling a rock cart in a field next to a Maine farm I own on the way to work today. What you get out of life all boils down to how you view it, live it.

Every year a new crop of field stones surface like clockwork. Some pretty big. Most easily picked under the hot sun and tossed in to the slow moving cart. With a full load dumped along a property line to better define it. Or used as fill in a roadway muddy section with poor drainage to create a solid base to travel over with farm machinery. Put to good use. For a win win situation. So farm equipment does not have to tangle with the rocks that cause damage in the planting, cultivating, harvest operation.

The field rocks on Maine farm land don’t just “ta da” go away.

They show up right on schedule and how you use them is the sermon here. To temper and enrich the way you look at life. Greater appreciation for what is good in life, the small things you are grateful for creates an abundant supply of overflowing joy and contentment. If you chose to want to take that approach. Were you taught to always look for the silver lining?

With rock picking, maybe you got to drive the tractor. Had a good crew to chit chat with and to forget the task at hand. Maybe it is such a feeling of relief when you are hot, sweaty, tired and dirty but there, done for another year. Heading to a Maine lake to cool off. Or thinking about a trip to the ice cream dairy bar as the treat that is the stick and carrot end of the exercise. And knowing the farmer needed your help. That you are part of something bigger than yourself.

How you were raised, what was talked about in and outside of the four walls of the family home.

The shape, make up of your world viewpoint controls how you filter everything coming at you in life. How you react to events, situations. And people like you and me that all come at you with tons of idiosyncrasies, quirks. But rising above the Dick and Jane, Ken and Barbie individual areas that can tick you off, frustrate removes the chains that hold you back from a rich life.

Expectations of others plane out when you take time to learn who they are, what they have been through. Understanding someone else happens easier when you think of someone besides the needs, emotions of just the person you look at brushing your teeth each morning. And shows a sign of maturity as you accept the way things just are for everyone around you.

Realizing what you think you want is not always what you really need in life.

Being a little red hen, can do, full of hope person can irritate an Eeyore. Beware, the postive attitude will not be embraced with open arms by all around you. But you either have it or not. Are built, wired, conditioned to get through the day to day the postive way. Don’t stop embracing what has caused you so much success in life because it bothers someone else who lacks it. Or just does not share the same view point or approach to life.

Don’t let anyone remove that or beat you down telling you there is nothing about you they like. No one else is you. Be you. Work to improve you. But others don’t define you unless you let them, trust them. And only if they are kind, gentle, loving and nurturing. Everyone is well intentioned right? Does the best they can. But measuring up, others should not be the end all to let you know if you do or not. Get on your knees. Answer to someone with higher authority, infinite power by surrendering.

Maine, we keep it simple. Look at things that happen around us a whole different way. Take it all in stride and consider it all joy. Find your place in the space of Maine.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com