Monday, March 23, 2015

How Much is Work?

People have asked about farming, is it a lot of work? What is it like to have the job of a farmer? How many hours of my day is devoted to working? Hummmm, I get the feeling that they are comparing what I do to a typical 9-5 type job. Well maybe farming is exactly just that to some farmers, especially big corporate farms. But what I am doing as a homestead farmer doesn't equate to what most people deem as a job. 

I find it difficult to make a distinction between work, pleasure, and recreation when working on my homestead. Yes, it's physical labor for sure, sometimes hard, sweaty, muscle tiring labor. But it's something that I enjoy doing. 

Can a person get pleasure doing physical labor? Sure! I enjoy digging the gardens, creating compost, planting trees, harvesting, tending livestock. I'll tell you, if I didn't like to do it, it surely wouldn't get done. I left the drudgery of the 9-5 boring job scene far behind me. 

I have fun creating new experiments to try. It's mental exercise. I enjoy working with my livestock. It's play. It's recreation. 

Homestead farming can be serious but it also can be enjoyable. It incorporates the qualities of a hobby, a job, and a lifestyle all into one. It's hard to say where the work part ends and the pleasure begins. The lines are not only blurred but all mixed up. 

2 comments:

  1. Interesting post. So, it seems the whole day is part work, part exercise and part enjoyment. How much pure leisure time do you have? Or is that not so important if you don't have a 9-5 pure work type job?

    @honeytubs

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting post. So, it seems the whole day is part work, part exercise and part enjoyment. How much pure leisure time do you have? Or is that not so important if you don't have a 9-5 pure work type job?

    @honeytubs

    ReplyDelete