When I fell in love with my (now) husband, I never imagined what our life would look like on a day to day basis. I had an idea it would be hard, I'd be spending a lot of time alone, and that it was bound to be unpredictable. Being married is a feat in and of itself -- being married to a farmer adds a whole other layer.
There is no denying the fact that our relationship is an adventure. Just like farming, no two days are ever the same. It's constantly changing, I'm constantly learning. I am finding out things about myself I didn't know.... Like I CAN learn patience and I had no idea how strong I could be until I needed to be. There is NO denying that marrying a farmer changed my life in so many ways... Here are 10 ways marrying a farmer WILL change your life...
10. You will become very good at directions, landmarks, and where people live... Because when your husband tells you he's in the southwest corner of the field to the south of the "such and such farm" and needs you to bring him something, you will need to be able to find him. Ladies, ask for a plat book if your county does that kind of thing.. It makes your life MUCH more simple.
9. A majority of the conversations during your meal time will be about farming. Farm talk will become table talk during supper. You will get to hear all about crops, equipment, weather, prices... No farm topic is off limits.
8. Date nights during planting and harvest = time in the tractor or combine with your husband. Dates during any other time of the year besides winter = checking crops. If you want to see them or spend time with him, this is where you will be.
7. You WILL find random things in your laundry. I am sure people who still raise livestock have this one the worst. It's a common thing during certain times of the year that I find soybean seeds rolling around in my dryer.
6. Don't plan on eating at a certain time every night or day with your husband. Farm life is so unpredictable. You may be eating supper at 7 p.m. one night and 10 p.m. the next night.
5. You can never RSVP "yes" to events during planting, spraying, or harvest because you never really know IF you will be available. Events like weddings, banquets, dinners, etc. during this time of the year are usually last minute things... You know, like if it's raining...
4. Your trips out of town usually involve some sort of farm business... Whether you are going by the hardware store or to stop and look at "insert piece of equipment here", you never just go to town without doing some sort of farm business... Am I right?
3. You become very good at just going with the flow... Like I said earlier, farm life is unpredictable. You never know when your husband will suddenly decide that "insert farm task here" is IMPERATIVE to get done and he's off in a flash when you had plans to spend the day together... Or go on a date... Or just cooked a fantastic Sunday meal.. Whatever the situation may be, just let it go. Go with the flow. It's not worth the energy to get your panties in a bunch over trivial things.
2. You will become a glass half full person in a hurry. It rains when you don't want it to, crops burn up or get disease.... For those of you with livestock, calves die... Bad things happen. And if you focus on the negative in the situation, well, your life will be pretty miserable. It's best to find the silver lining in the farm life.
1. You appreciate Mother Nature in ways you'd never thought possible. You will get to experience farming on such an intimate level. You will learn so much about how it all works. Every single day, you are bound to learn something new in the farm world. It's amazing. After my second year of experiencing planting and harvesting crops, I still marvel at how Mother Nature works together in order to make things grow.
Yes, my life may have drastically changed the moment I fell in love with a farmer. And these changes are forever. I am in it for the long haul with him and there's no turning back now... But you know, I wouldn't change it for the world. The good times will be good, the tough times will just make us stronger. We will continue to learn and grow.
Truth is... I love my farmer like I never thought possible. He's my rock, he sets my soul on fire, he may make me pull my hair out from time to time... But, I love that man. Like I've never loved anybody else. I look forward to the adventures that lay ahead of us. And here's to that new chapter!
Check out writing and photos by Jennifer on her blog: jldphotographblog.com.
