Sarah Ficken of New Moon Farmstead

The 561st recipient is Sarah Ficken of New Moon Farmstead in Munnsville, NY. Sarah writes:

What self-care and well-being mean to me as a farmer: “Self-care is so difficult as a farmer because there is always something else to take care of and it can so often feel like there are not enough hours in the day. To me, self care means making time -- even if it is stealing in between moments -- to be kind to my body and to myself. On busy days, this can mean that I take a few extra moments to breathe deeply, look at the stars, and feel the satisfaction of the day on my way in from the barn. On less busy days, this can mean taking extra time doing chores together as a family. Self care always means stretching at the end of the day and taking a moment to be grateful for all the day brought.”

How I might use this $250 self-care award: ”I would use $250 to pay for physical therapy sessions to learn how to stretch my body appropriately for the tasks that it does everyday. Physical therapy would not only allow me to feel a bit better, but it would also teach me the best ways to maintain my body so that it can keep farming in the long term.” 

Most important self-care needs that contribute to my well-being as a farmer: "Next to physically treating my body better, my most important self-care need is figuring out how to calm the endless to do lists in my mind. I have wondered whether an app like Motion could help streamline my to-do list or if there are better systems I could learn to optimize the day to day.”

#realfarmercare