Margaret Knapp of The A La Veggie Collective

The 553rd recipient is Margaret Knapp of The A La Veggie Collective in Santa Fe, NM. Margaret writes:

What self-care and well-being mean to me as a farmer: “Self-care means taking good care of my aging body now that I am 33 and have been going hard for so many years, and managing the stress that I am constantly under trying to operate so many different projects at a high level. It means tending to my chronic injuries so that they don’t worsen, taking time to feel good in my body, asking for emotional or logistical support when I need it to reduce the amount of stress that I am under, spending quality time with the people that I love and whose company replenishes me, finding the time to practice yoga, and resourcing myself in natural beauty on and off the farm.”

How I might use this $250 self-care award: ”I would spend it on dry needling treatments ($100 a session) for my tendonitis, a deep tissue massage, and/or a weekly yoga class to stretch it out and calm my mind.” 

Most important self-care needs that contribute to my well-being as a farmer: "The most important need I have for self care is time spent deeply unwinding in mind and body—doing yoga or getting massages so that I'm feeling good in body and not just running it into the ground, taking better care of my muscles and joints, slowing down, and checking in deeply with all the little spots. I ask a lot of my body, I am constantly moving, lifting weight, getting injured and having to carry on. I know that my body and my mind are my most valuable tools, but years of production agriculture got me in the bad habit of abusing my body because that was the expectation, and now that I am carrying so much responsibility I feel the urgency of being patient and gentle with my body and mind because I cannot afford to abuse that which I rely on to be of service to this world.”

#realfarmercare