The 224th recipient is Yeawa Asabi of @blackfarmerscollective in Seattle, WA.
Yeawa writes, “Farming is something that continuously teaches me. Farming effortlessly teaches me about myself, the ebbs and flows of life, patience, death, life, rebirth, the elegance of transformation, and so much more. Farming reminds me everyday to stand and be exactly where my two feet are planted and to appreciate being present.
Farming has taught me how to take better care of myself, the earth, along with the people I love. I quickly learned within the first few days of farming that I need a set bedtime in order to get enough rest for the next day or else I’d be exhausted the rest of the week. I learned that I needed to eat foods that supported the energy I was exerting at the farm. Farming continues to teach me about myself, my connection with Spirit, and connection with the collective consciousness. The more time I spend on the farm and awe how everything works together so effortlessly, the more I see myself in others and further realize how connected we all truly are.
I feel as farmers it is important to have self compassion and that self compassion starts with self, of course. Compassion for ourselves not only on the farm, but in our day to day lives. If there is anything I’ve learned within the past several months of being someone who tends to the land, is that everything is always being taken care of and I encourage us to slow down even more. I encourage us to have the self compassion to be present more, to rest more, to take more breaks, to have self compassion in whatever ways your Spirit needs it. Lao Tzu said it best, ‘Nature does not hurry, so why are we always in a rush.’”