Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone
Call me a homebody. As you may have gathered from our Website and Instagram account, our homestead is our sanctuary. We value being together as a family, and have put a lot of effort into creating a refuge from all of life’s demands. Chris and I often reflect, we wish we never had to leave the forest views, cozy decor, comforting smells, and warm environment of our home. Despite this reclusive tendency, between our extended family, co-workers, and school aged children we’ve developed a large social network of rich friendships that we want to invest in and cultivate.
Entertaining for others, however, is definitely outside of my comfort zone. The mere thought of having guests over for dinner, and I spiral into an anxious tizzy. I feel so much pressure to stage each room of our already warm, loving environment for a picture perfect Country Living Magazine photo shoot. What to wear, and what to cook, and what candle to burn, and what music to play monopolize my thoughts and my energy. I quickly feel so overwhelmed that I almost always shy away from any inclination to entertain that bubbles up.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy the companionship of others or the entertainment of a good party...it’s that my own expectations of what it “should be” paralyze my ability to be present and enjoy the experience fully.
Well, when you bring home 5 baby goats, naturally everyone wants to “come and see”. One by one, we started inviting folks out to the farm. For my own sanity, I kept things simple. Some fresh squeezed lemonade or warm apple cider for refreshment, and those silly goats and our gorgeous, woodland setting took care of the rest! I was pleasantly surprised by what a fun time was had by all without extensive effort on my part.
With newfound confidence, I started to consider having a party! At first, I planned to only invite my co-workers. As a manager, I wanted to share a glimpse of my life outside of work with my team, and offer a family friendly event everyone could attend with their kids. I hoped it would also be a way to show them how much I appreciated them! So I made a flyer to hang up at work.
A couple days later, my husband asked me to text him a picture of the flyer. He started inviting his colleagues too and the flood gates flew wide open.
Honestly, I’m not really sure who we all invited. There was never a list or any tracking of RSVP’s. We would simply run into someone we hadn’t seen for a while and invite them. We would engage in a conversation with someone new and invite them. The kids even invited friends at school. It sounds out of control, but it was more like we all adopted this open posture that anyone and everyone was welcome at out home to celebrate Fall, the season of thanks AND giving.
When my old enemies “fear”, “anxiety”, “self-consciousness”, and “completely overwhelmed” tried to crash the party, my husband confidently encouraged me, “Everyone will have a great time! They will hang with the goats, paint pumpkins, gather round the fire...you don’t have to do anything - just enjoy it!”
And he was right. We had over 70 people at our house. Little kids shrieked with delight in the goat yard as spoiled goats nibbled grain and treats out of their palms. People proudly displayed their painted pumpkins for the contest: Funniest, Scariest, and Most Artistic. Around the fire, sticky melted marshmallow clung to glowing cheeks and fingertips. Inside, the counters were covered with delicious dishes to share and a revolving chain of guests made their way through to fill up their plates and cups. My kids ran around with their friends, guests ooo-ed and ahh-ed over my baby niece, we even met our neighbors for the first time!
Sitting in my living room after the party, eating some amazing meatballs someone had thoughtfully set aside for me...I listened to my girls recount their favorite parts of the night and beg us to do this every weekend. It was a success. Not five minutes after the last guest left, it started to rain, and by the following weekend snow covered the ground! We could not have timed the party more perfectly.
And so this party serves as a metaphor for our whole business. We’ve tapped into something good here on our farm; the soul-satisfying contentment found in nature’s teeming bounty. It’s not the edited pictures we post on Instagram, or the neat rows of soap curing in the root cellar. It’s a feeling. An escape from the demands and stress of everyday life. Pursuing this business is definitely outside of our comfort zone, but we feel like we have something to share. And apparently outside of our comfort zone is where the best stuff is waiting!
***Inadvertantly, I am sure there are people I forgot to invite who are reading this now feeling slighted. Hopefully, grace can be shown to this entertaining rookie. We hope this is the beginning of an annual tradition, Fall Family Open House at Land of Milk and Honey! See you next year!