The Land Is Ours: Reflections on Patience, Postpartum, and Building Something That Lasts
The land has been purchased and the soil is being tested. As I take these next steps, I feel so proud of what we’ve accomplished this year.
At the beginning of the year, the search for land began. By April we were in the bidding/buying process, with many more steps still ahead. Patience was the theme this year. I’ve worked on plenty of garden and farm projects before, but having my own land in this capacity is new and thrilling.
Being an entrepreneur means constantly learning and developing skills I never would have needed if I’d stayed working for someone else. I can say that with confidence because I’m not ignorant of what it’s like to work for others. I’m genuinely grateful for the experiences I had starting at a young age—they helped me understand that owning my business is exactly what I was meant to do. My mission can’t be replaced, and it won’t be diminished.
As we near the end of the year, patience, resilience, and faith have been practiced daily, and I’ll be carrying those into the next one. A lot of the skill-building this year wasn’t physical. It was documentation, writing, presentation, photo and video work (thank God for the photography experience), and building community. Choosing what that community will look like has mattered just as much.
With all of that good came the harder parts. I wasn’t as consistent with documenting and posting as I wanted to be. I felt slower and unimpressed with myself while healing through postpartum. I was also new to an entire state and had to slow down—and mostly pause—the food and catering side of the business because of a lack of connections and community. It wasn’t all fun, and the process of being patient has been even harder than I expected.
Looking ahead into the new year, I believe my work will continue to center on documentation, photo and video, delegation, and problem-solving. I’ll need to seriously consider what I want this farm to look like in the next three to five years, how it will function, what income it can generate, and eventually how it can benefit the community around it.
Thankfully, I’ll always have the online business to fulfill orders. I’ll also be developing workshops for locals who want to be involved, and some community outreach will be part of the work.
So as I wait for the soil results, this is my version of reflection and documentation—taking you along for the ride that fills my soul.
What are your takeaways from this year? Do you have new projects or dreams you’re working toward?
From the beds at Wild Bloom — Seed to Plate, one season at a time.
Serena
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