Let Freedom Ring

I moved from New York City to an organic farm in the Hudson River Valley, in Upstate New York, four years ago. Here I found the space and freedom to reinvent myself. There were a lot of things about my life that needed reinventing at that time. My relationship with my boyfriend had failed, my job was no longer satisfying, and I found the City to be unbearably noisy and crowded.

Now, I am no farmer! However, the land that I live on has been given over to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). So, I reap the benefits of having a beautiful farm to look at, without having to do any of the hard labor. It really is a bucolic landscape in the summer with sheep grazing on the hillside, and cattle lowing in the pasture; there are even pigs running loose in the woods, who come together at feeding time for their organic vegetables and grain. Great fun for my nieces and nephews when they visit.

At first, the habitual attitude of discontent that is so hard to shake in the fashionable City, clung to me. I had a way of seeing who I wasn't, or hadn't accomplished. I compared myself to other women and measured my life against theirs. Gradually though, as the stillness and simplicity of the country life crept into my soul, someone totally new began to emerge. I was filled with an enormous sense of gratitude for the smallest of things. Comparisons virtually vanished. I became happy in the present moment.

When I arrived in this beautiful, green place, I became comfortable in my own skin for the first time in my 40+ years. I rarely wear makeup anymore. I started making my own natural and organic skin care products so that I would know what I was putting on my face. My diet is vegetarian. I sleep eight hours a night, and I get up early. I do yoga. My skin has become luminous as a result. (I still eat way too much chocolate, though).

Strange how one's whole way of being can change when one declares oneself "independent" of the old life and the old norms. It's never too late to to rebel against the "you" you've outgrown. Something great could be on the horizon. I started this company when I left my old life behind, and every day is exciting and fulfilling. Let freedom ring.