"Despite the prior investment prioritizing AND letting go might be a farmer’s most important skills as well as life talents, too, aiding us in the efficiency, time, productivity and happiness of Life."
Hello to you, Annie Jesperson & Nathaniel Talbot listening from Deep Harvest Farm on Whidbey Island!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (& a bit more goodness) for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Every week I head over to Deep Harvest Farm from July through Thanksgiving to fill my basket with organic produce as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) member. Early in day the CSA members get an email with a list of what’s been harvested, a recipe or two and a musing by Farmer Annie like this one, The Fallacy of Sunk Costs. Maybe like me you’ll recognize yourself in her words:
The Fallacy of Sunk Costs [~ by Annie Jesperson]
“Sometimes a benefit and other times a detriment of long farm days are the countless hours alone with one's thoughts. A morning spent pruning tomatoes and dragging irrigation lines offers opportunity to practice deep breathing, mindfully listen to the sparrow songs or to stew on last night’s sub-optimal conversation with your sister while mentally spiraling about foreign affairs.
There’s time for it all! We spend many moments with the gentle coo of the wind but also keep our brains stimulated with a wide assortment of podcasts. A few of us love "The Gray Area with Sean Illing," which is a philosophy show that covers culture, politics, and other big conversation topics.
I’m pretty sure it was here, I learned about one of my now favorite philosophical principles that comes in handy most farm days and in the rest of life, too. It’s called “The fallacy of sunk costs.” Anyone else a fan?? This concept expresses the mental error in one’s tendency to keep going on an endeavor just for the sake of finishing it. You’ve invested some time, money, and energy so you want to complete a task even if the costs of completing it outweigh the positives. It’s knowing when to cut losses and till in those overly weedy carrots, shrug your shoulders and leave the last 10% of the giant fruit tree unpruned or close the book you’re not loving and pick up something else. There’s nothing to gain by doing otherwise!
Every day, we look at our mammoth to-do list and decide what’s a priority and what just isn’t going to happen and not infrequently we kiss some hard work goodbye for the sake of future plantings and more vital tasks. Prioritizing and letting go might be a farmer’s most important skills as well as life talents, too, aiding us in the efficiency, time, productivity and happiness of Life!”
Click HERE to visit Deep Harvest Farm, learn about the farm & its farmers, sign up for the Seed Newsletter for hot garden tips, farm news and seed discounts, join the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm Share, AND shop the 170 varieties of Certified Organic, Open-Pollinated, & Non-GMO seed proven to thrive in the Pacific Northwest: FLOWER SEEDS ~ VEGETABLE & HERB SEEDS
Thank you for listening!
You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Services, arrange a no-sales Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.
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Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music