Things at the farm never stop, but by mid-December they slow down for a few weeks.  This is the time of year I focus on plans for the next season, website updates, marketing strategies and new product offerings.  The Abundance Cubed Program helped me define the farm’s mission and vision and it has been interesting to think about it as I make changes.
 
Friendly Farmers, Caring Consumers
 
At Stone Coop Farm we are friends with the earth and all its inhabitants down to the microorganisms in our soil.  We are dedicated to being better stewards of the land and sharing our knowledge with others. Stone Coop Farm is a neighborhood farm supported by folks that care about the long term health of our planet and future generations.
 
The election has also reminded me that Stone Coop Farm is a safe haven, not only for the plants and animals, but for the people that work and visit here.  This farm is a neutralizer.  When people come to work and volunteer here, they are here to collaborate, to accomplish a task together for the better good. We are all in work clothes, there isn’t a judgement about lifestyles based on clothes, make up or jewelry.  We talk about food and living healthy lives, not our jobs.  It is important to me that everyone is welcome here and treated with respect and dignity.
 
During my working life I have been at jobs where I was sexually assaulted and had to figure out how to deal with sexual harassment. Unfortunately 3 different men, during work, felt it was their right to touch me without my permission.  Others mentioned that I could advance my career with my body.
 
I have also heard racist comments and actions towards co-workers and strangers that were completely unwarranted.  One of my current employees couldn’t even get me a receipt for gas because she was given too much grief and she just needed to leave that situation.
 
A friend had someone else record her business answering machine because she felt her accent would negatively impact her business because of the intolerance and disrespect she had experienced personally.
 
These situations reinforce that sexism, racism and injustice are prevalent every day all over the U.S.  I want Stone Coop to be the exception.  I want people here treated with respect and I want them to feel like it is a safe place no matter what their race, religion, sex, or social status.  I want to be a leader that demonstrates tolerance, compassion and kindness.  I might not be able to influence my government officials in these attributes, but I can personally treat folks that way and expect people that work at my business to do so as well.  

abundance  [uh-buhn-duh ns] noun

1. an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply: abundance of grain.
2. overflowing fullness: abundance of the heart.
3. affluence; wealth: the enjoyment of abundance.

I started the Abundance Cubed Program in December 2015, but Stone Coop Farm has been focused on abundance since day one.  The barn quilt on our 1907 barn represents abundance.  We chose that symbol because life is so much more than being prosperous.  We believe in abundance in everything that opens our hearts to each other and this planet.
 
So in this blog I will be focusing on abundance and different words that express abundance, just to look at it in a new light and open my eyes to new possibilities.  I also love to play with words and feel how they are formed in my mouth when I say them, like plethora. 

There have been ample opportunities this year for me to learn more about myself, my lifestyle and my business.  Through the Abundance Cubed Program copious amounts of ideas and strategies have been presented to me.  I have considered an endless amount of possibilities and tried many.  But the easiest measurement of success is wealth because it is a number and it is something we track every day.  This year I have been reminded, through others’ eyes, what should be measured as success, those little steps that have nothing to do with money:  taking time to relax, smiling even when you’re tired, knowing all your members names, building a community where everyone is welcome, learning how to work with nature, growing healthy nutritious food, showing up and being present.  These things are important and should be celebrated.

​​I took time yesterday afternoon to walk through my back meadow with my dogs.  There was a profusion of leaf colors and the sounds. When the wind hit the leaves and the colors were reflected in the sunlight, I was enchanted.  Here’s a short video of the whispering aspens.

​​Last night was our Gratitude Dinner, our end of the season Farm to Table Meal.  There was an bounty of crops on the table that were grown here at Stone Coop – radishes, turnips, sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, Brussels sprouts, rutabaga, spinach, cilantro, onions, garlic, mint, sunchokes, arugula, parsnips and a myriad of baby greens for our salad.  We also had certified organic lamb for our entrée.
  

Dinner was served at one long table with strangers sitting next to each other, sharing platters of food and plenty of conversation and laughter.  The barn had a rustic opulence that had folks admiring the craftsmanship it took to originally build the barn, then disassemble and reassemble it here at Stone Coop Farm.  It was such a relaxing dinner full of taste bud explosions.

What abundance do you have in your life that has nothing to do with your bank account?
 
Did you find the 9 synonyms for abundance that I used in this blog?