The Adamah Blog

Rain, toughing it out and listening

I never thought much about the weather before I was a farmer. It rains, you stay inside. It’s sunny, maybe you take a walk. Depends on your schedule. Here at Adamah, every day, we work where we’re needed. If there’s weeding to be done, and it’s sunny, you put on a lot of sunscreen, drink a lot of water, and sweat, sweat, sweat. If it’s harvest day, and it’s rainy, you get wet. Really wet. Like, will-I-ever-be-dry-again wet. This week, we’ve had a little bit of both. There are breaks in the shade, there’s inside work that needs to be done, but most of all, there’s the satisfaction of toughing it out.

There are also the classes. After a hard day of work, the Adamahniks and some staff convene in the yurt with Shamu, Sarah, or Aitan. So far we’ve learned about animal husbandry with Aitan, permaculture and Judaism in relation to sustainability with Shamu, and fundraising with Sarah.

Last night we met for a class about active listening, which is an integral part of community here at Adamah. Through skits and partner practice, we learned about the importance and meaning of truly listening—this involves body language, making sure you understand what the other person is saying, encouragement, helping with solutions, and other cool stuff. I’ll leave you with my favorite quote that Sarah gave us to help understand the material:

“In seeking wisdom, the first step is silence, the second listening, the third remembering, the fourth practicing, the fifth—teaching others.”
– Ibn Gabirol

B’Shalom,
Mo and Lowen