Chickens and Goats and Pigs, oh my!
When I was five years old, the house that we lived in had a vacant lot across the street and on that vacant lot was a chicken coop. It was a small coop, and every once in a while, the chickens would get out and all of us kids would run screaming around this field as the chickens chased us, or maybe as we chased them. I don’t even remember how the chickens were put back into the coop, I just remember being terrified. Looking back, I’m certain the chickens were probably more afraid than we were, but none the less, I grew up with an irrational fear of chickens. Thank God, I lived in the city!
Last year I had the opportunity to meet a lovely woman who runs a farm with her partner. They have chickens. A lot of chickens. My new friend, Tiffany and I met unconventionally through social media. And in one of our very first messages, I told her that I was afraid of chickens. So she did what any woman who is going to be a lifelong friend would do… she invited me to come to her farm and meet her chickens.
I’ll admit, I was very nervous. I had never met Tiffany in person and here I was on an early June morning going to her house for coffee and to meet the residents of her farm. I planned ahead and wore long pants and shoes instead of sandals. No chickens were going to peck at my feet!
Tiffany began by taking me into the barn that the chickens hang out in. I’m not sure if she could tell how closely I was following her, and I felt very brave because I hadn’t asked her to carry me… yet.
That day, I was brave enough to pet a chicken. I had conquered a fear with the gentle help of a caring woman who never made me feel foolish. I also had the lovely experience of petting the little goats that are so inquisitive and sweet. And then I got to meet the “teenagers”. These were the pigs that were about the size of a short legged golden retriever and they were hilarious! It was a good thing I’d worn those tennis shoes, because one of them decided the laces were a tasty snack. I was in heaven! I was even more overjoyed about a month later when I went back to visit the farm and the pigs remembered me and came to me for head scratches!
The animals at Graise Farm are so gentle and peaceful because that is the type of care that they get.
I knew when I met the “teenagers” that they were the pigs that would become the pork that would be sold by Tiffany and Andy. I decided that day that I was going to buy that pork when it was ready in the fall.
I know it seems odd that I could have such a cool interaction with the animals and then decide that I wanted to purchase it for food, and I can only say that it made such a difference to me that the meat that I was going to consume came from such a loving place. I am realistic. I like to eat meat and I am very thankful for the opportunity to know about where my food comes from, and the way it was raised.
When I met Tiffany I wasn’t sure what to think. A business woman turned farmer who had no fear of chickens… she seemed crazy. And she is! She is a crazy good friend who makes the time to give me feedback and support in my business, and she works crazy hard to do the thing she is passionate about. A “super woman” that I am proud to promote and to call my friend.
Life Coach and Founder of Heidi’s Clubhouse
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