There are times, some more than others, that I wonder what it would be like to live a "normal" life. You know, with long holiday weekends and all that. Or heck I'd even take just a “normal” weekend. Especially when our lives are so busy on top of all the regular hustle bustle of farming.
Wouldn’t it be incredible to walk away from your desk each day and leave your work at the office? What about having a set schedule Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We could have no interruptions to family time and the ability to take real vacations.
But comparison is the thief of joy! So even while my social media feed is full of all my friends' long holiday weekend pictures, I'll truly treasure all that this dairy life offers. Even if it's not the norm. What a gift it is to work with family and care for our cows.
I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. What's your favorite thing about the dairy lifestyle?
Darleen Sichley
The author is a third-generation dairy farmer from Oregon where she farms in partnership with her husband and parents. As a mother of two young boys who round out the family-run operation as micro managers, Darleen blogs about the three generations of her family working together at Guernsey Dairy Mama. Abiqua Acres Mann's Guernsey Dairy is currently home to 90 registered Guernseys and transitioned to a robotic milking system in 2017.