Rain, Rain Go AWAY. . . . . .

This was part of a headline in a paper I was reading this week. How true it is. This growing season opened with so much promise. I remember golf courses opening in March. Areas of the province that had experienced excessive moisture were poised to see a better year. Producers were relaxed as they began the arduous task of putting in their crop. Then the rains began. And once they began they couldn’t seem to stop. Some crops were never put in. Some crops never survived. Some crops survived only to be out in the fields now, waiting to be harvested. Who knows how they will turn out. Cattle producers in many areas have been left without sufficient feed supplies for the winter.

I know I am retelling a story that has become old for so many. And yet I am concerned as I talk to many producers through out the province who, again, have to rethink their farming businesses. Many of you are spending countless hours on machinery as you try your utmost to harvest the crop. As you sit on your tractors you have far too much time to think. And think we do. Far too often the theme of our thoughts is “what could have been”. Many times those thoughts are on the future. As resilient farmers we often say “well, there is always next year”. However, each year that becomes less and less of a sure thing.

Someone said to me today that he was getting tired “thinking about his thinking”. It becomes tiring. The challenge is to focus our thoughts on positives. Remember the blog where I mentioned living one day at a time? The idea is to think positive and avoid those negative thoughts that so easily take over. Mindfulness is a great tool to adjust our thinking. Taking the time each day to sit back and breath will payoff in dividends.

The other challenge is safety. As the days get shorter and as we hurry more and as stress mounts we lose focus of what is happening around us. When we are overwhelmed with stress our expectations become unrealistic. We lose our way. We are an accident waiting to happen. As we wait for the rain to pass and the sun to return, it’s important to remember the saying “there’s a lot to do, so we’d better go slow”.

Make it good one. Make a safe one.