Focused attention

This is a busy time of the year, but in a different way than spring, summer, and fall.
Much of the busyness at this time is in planning for the farm for the coming seasons. There are seed orders to be placed, soil tests to be interpreted, fertility plans to be made, pasture and cow plans to be made, CSA memberships to be renewed, and so on.

I try not to let myself get lost or overwhelmed by these many different directions. I try to take care of things one at a time, do a good job on each one, all the while knowing that there's just too much to fit into any one day, so some things I'll have to do later than I'd like, or simply let go.

Homeschooling is going strong, and that is one thing I do not want to compromise. I realize how much Sena and Aiyana are capable of, how receptive they are right now, and how much I can contribute to their wellbeing. This will not be so forever. In l0 years or less, they'll be grown up and my impact will be much reduced. So I want to give them all I can right now, when they're willing to learn and have such capacity for it.

There are so many paths in life that are misleading, empty, without meaning, that fool us into thinking they'll bring fulfillment when they don't. I've learned some things about telling these false paths from the ones that are genuine. I want to teach Sena and Aiyana and guide them with this knowledge. I want to give them the tools that will allow them not only to chose wisely in life, but also to do things well.

One particular skill I hope to give to both of them is focused attention. I think that this is fundamental to doing anything well. Our culture is, if anything, teaching the opposite of focused attention. There are so many distractions aimed at us, and they do work. They promise and deliver cheap rewards. In my experience, the rewards of focused attention are great, but they do not come easy. But I'm still learning.

Peace