Much of what I’ve learned at Evergreen has been strengthened and helped through time spent working on an Organic Farm. I’ve spent a total of two years working there on and off, and was more than honored when I was asked to come back and work for a busy weekend. This experience was challenging to me, being put back in a setting, I had previously been familiar with but this time, after nearly a year of working there, I wasn’t fully confident in doing my job to the best I could. This was due to a matter of locating all the products, being able to complete tasks off the to do list, recalling specific details of animal and plant care to answer everyone’s questions and much more. Things had changed so much since I had last worked- the feed store had been moved, a shed had been built for frequently sold feed bags, the hydroponics and soil building had been changed into an employee break room, and the center office building was now where hydroponics and soil amendments were sold, animal care and first aid products were held, as well as new items such as handmade projects from local businesses and home goods were available for purchase.
I had to work strategically my first hour at the farm that day. I had to quickly learn the new system for making sales and refresh myself with how the farm was organized, and checking to see what plant starts we had in at the time. I especially wanted to find where products were located, if someone asked me for help finding things, (which was bound to happen) and also so I could answer without having to backtrack to the computer or a coworker asking for help. Out of habit and working there in the past, I wanted to ask people if they found everything alright or if I could help them in any way, with hopes that I could.

After the first few hours, I was sent to the back of the farm to help out and water the plant starts in the greenhouse. Usually in the past, I would be bummed out about being in the back, away from the animals and people who always made farm days lively and fun. But this time, I saw it as a saving grace. I was able to make the connection that the plants I would be caring for, would later be returning the favor and nourishing me. I was doing what I could to help the variety of plants growing, and was able to see these plants in the fragile and vulnerable state- the same way I felt myself that day. I was working there, in recovery from being out of the hospital three days prior, thrown into a situation to be working on my own where customers would expect me to be able to help them, and I and still did not fully having my hearing back.
Later on that day, I was able to help assist customers with buying chicks. Some weeks old, some just a few days old. At the same time trying to help others, one particular customer stood out to me. She came in asking us if we carried any product that could be used on wounds for a feral cat she was nursing back to health. Continuing on after some time explaining what all she had been doing lately, she ended up buying a bunch of baby birds as well. She noticed that one of the birds had been trampled, and stepped on by the other chicks, but she wanted to buy this particular bird for the sake of caring for and nurturing, as she was doing with the feral cat. She did not care that this particular chicken breed was straight run, and she had an equal and high chance (50%, as compared to 5% and below) for getting a rooster, instead of a laying hen. Nearly everyone buys their chickens for their ability to lay eggs, friendly personalities, ability to forage and low chance of being a rooster, or the look of the bird. Rather, she wanted to nurture and help, which was so exhilarating to have a customer come in and want to do such a thing.
The whole day was a range of an emotional experience, testing my ability to multi-task, helping people, running small errands, feeding animals, watering plant starts and maintaining both energy level and sanity. “Keep it Simple” as we joke, but a reminder to ourselves what we stand for.