A Sunrise Across the Fields

This morning I woke up much earlier than usual to help my uncle milk his friend's cows. As I walked out of the house, I saw the moonlight reflecting off the fresh snow that only showed me the delicacy of the morning. It wasn't very difficult to get out of bed and walk the short distance to my uncle's house by the light of the moon guiding my way. As we drove over to his friends, I continued to take in the slow, quieter pace of the hours just before dawn.

Dairy farms (and I suppose many farms) have a certain culture about them that are about the animals and crops that regulate the schedules outside of human control. They seem to have a slower, but steadier pace that isn't interrupted by various deadlines or affected by high stress conditions. The heifers come into the milking parlor to be milked before going out to the pasture or stalls to eat or rest, give birth, and raise their young. Most of the time, it's easy come, easy go unless one of the cows gets spooked. Farms also have a particular smell that is unmistakable. While I would most certainly avoid walking barefoot through the manure or the fields, I find that I am limited to living and being aware of my senses in nature because if I look to what's next, I'll miss what I have to do or live through right now.

By being present with the cows as I dipped their teats in disinfectant or cleaned their udders so they could be milked, I could pay attention to each individual cow and be alert if one would try and kick me if  she did not want to be milked. It was an opportunity to see what would happen if I let an animal show me what needed to be done, and how to be with them quietly. It ended up leading to moments of peace and appreciation for nature and its pace that we are all apart of. Its natural pace reveals how connected we are to animals, plants, and all of life and how that helps provide me with balance.

Mornings are more special to me than the evenings as I find sunrises to be more peaceful and calming because many people are asleep or are enjoying the quiet while evenings are usually more boisterous and lively.  After the milking, I watched the sun rise into the sky casting a glow over the fields around the farm. To be connected to the land, and to feel how small I am in relation to everything is inspiring just as I realize that I have a role that is part of the synergy of life. In the morning, a new day begins. Cows need  to be milked, life begins after evening's slumber, and the sunrise brings us all together for another day together with all of life.

In the fields just after sunrise.