good for the soul

So. The other day I was having a day. You know, one of those days. I may or may not have been a completely irrational, emotional wreck. The morning started rough, and I was having a little bit of a mommy-life-crisis. Being a new mom, loving it, finally starting to get the hang of it, and then feeling completely stuck all at the same time. It's just a day in the life. But sometimes it gets to me. What I wanted to do was crawl back into bed and pretend that this day had never happened, mope around til Davey got home, and have a good cry. What I actually did was throw the girls in the van and head out to Athens to meet Davey for an apologetic lunch and do some grocery shopping. And just for kicks I took the scenic route. Some day, when my camera has reliable working batteries and I'm feeling ambitious, I will make that drive again, and stop in the middle of the dang road every 5 minutes and show ya'll what I'm talking about. But for right this moment, you're just gonna have to take my word for it. I took a 20 minute drive through some of the most beautiful country this side of heaven. When I got into Englewood - a forgotten rail stop with 1 stoplight, a post office and a hardware store - I saw a horse and buggy parked on the side of the highway, and some men from the Englewood Mennonite community putting up a sign for their farm market. I've written about our Mennonite-run farm market in Delano before, it's my regular grocery trip all summer, but Englewood is about 5 minutes from my house. We're just over the ridge from the best produce I've ever had. I started to feel a little better. I drove on through the one stoplight, and rounded the corner to see another buggy and pony, and I think I even cracked a smile. I drove on past rolling farmland, woods and streams, fields and wildflowers, and suddenly, I was healed. Amen and hallelujah. By the time I got into Athens, I had that happy, tingly, peaceful feeling of knowing that I'm where I belong, in the middle of what I love, and so dang grateful to be here. I was reminded that we're here in the "middle of nowhere" because we want this simpler, quieter life. I won't say easier, because the things that we love take a lot of hard work, but the work is not a burden. It's not a means to an end. All the hard work that we're doing here is part of the journey, and it's a beautiful, wild ride.

P.S. - I don't want to steal anyone's photos, so if you click on the link below, there's a lovely little slideshow and article about the Delano Farm Market. It's good stuff, ya'll.

http://www.examiner.com/family-recreation-in-atlanta/delano-community-farm-marketpicture?slide=11253071