Plowing through a Pandemic

 Life has to go on, Pandemic or not. Karma and Karla are ready and willing to help do their part. We pulled our plow out of the barn and brushed off cobwebs. This Emerson plow is over a hundred years old. No doubt, it broke up soil during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. That's the year my wife's parents moved onto this farm.

 My horses and I are working to get this plot ready for sweet corn. I'll try and do more posts as we progress and let you see more of the process.

I've been following the pandemic through the news. Iowa Public Radio does a fine job of keeping us informed. Just recently, I discovered that one of my favorite radio personalities lives on my mail route. I knew the name but didn't make the connection until last week.

Another of my favorite news sources happens to be The Irish Times podcast. They do a daily Confronting Coronavirus podcast with great information. Not only do I LOVE listening to Irish voices but I find it useful to know what people outside of the U.S. are experiencing. 

Here are a few of my personal observations: We, here in Iowa, and everyone in the world are facing very similar struggles. We all have moments of fear. Only the Lord knows how this will all end. We also experience some beautiful lessons. Many of us have learned what benefits a slower lifestyle can provide. We've been made aware of the value of freedom, family, and friends. Some people are making the most of this timeout. Others are in survival mode. Most of us have a mixture of both good and bad. My Irish friends have been encouraging me to let both happen. Enjoy the good experiences and lessons without putting pressure on ourselves to be productive.

Many authors are finding it difficult to focus on writing, as I have. We find ourselves distracted. My Iowa Public Radio friends explained that the desire to watch too much news is a survival instinct. Our subconscious minds are searching for information that will take away the unknown element.

One of my daughters expressed that she had been feeling depressed lately. I encouraged her by saying, "The world is experiencing unprecedented suffering through illness, job loss, and isolation. We might not comprehend everything with our conscious mind; however, our souls feel the weight of it all."

 It got dark before we could finish on our first outing. We were able to finish the second time out. Karma grazes just outside of the fence, showing our completed plowing project. Meanwhile, we'll keep plowing through this pandemic.

Would you be interested in reading about life on an Amish farm?

Click on this link: Books by Thomas Nye

Amish and the Coronavirus

The Amish and the whole world stand by, watching to see how the Covid-19 pandemic will play out. This might be the first time in history when the entire globe is unified as we confront a common enemy.

I had a long visit with my good friend (who happens to be Amish ) on Friday. We began talking about our favorite topic, horses. However, all conversations at this moment lead to Coronavirus.
My Amish friend gave me reason to pause and rethink a few things.

I thought: I will be a valuable source of information for him. After all, I'm privileged to have access to all forms of enlightenment through my phone, radio, TV, and computer.

As I began sharing what "I knew" he started to chuckle. I thought: oh no- my poor friend is doubting what I know to be fact.

As we talked, I tried to convince him of "my truth." I slowly realized that he didn't see me as a source of information at all. Not because he didn't trust me but because I got my information from through media he didn't trust.

Isn't this is a huge problem for us all? Our political leaders, and the president himself, have convinced Americans that we can't trust our news sources.

My Amish friend and I began to discuss "social distancing." It quickly became clear to me that we who are not Amish have already become "socially distant." We are very comfortable sitting in front of our TV to fulfill our need for human interaction. If that isn't enough- we text, zoom, skype, facetime, marco-polo, or whatever.

Amish people, by and large, do all of their communicating face-to-face.

This is not to mention, Amish live with extended family. Restrictions about not meeting in groups of ten or more would rule out most Amish families having supper together.

I am very concerned about my Amish friend and for all Amish everywhere. They might live on farms that are spread out over the countryside, but they are extremely socially interconnected. Amish have a strong tradition of keeping their elderly in their homes.

Modern Americans (westerners) have become obsessed with germs. Amish people have not. If you have spent any amount of time with Amish families, you know that they pass around cups to share a drink of water without a thought.

My conversation with my Amish friend ended with him giving me advice. 

"We all need to pray. Only God can deliver us."

As you do your praying... please pray for our Amish friends.