By Rubie Dianne Simonsen

By nearly nine ‘o’clock I am dressed in my work boots, jeans, long sleeve, and sun hat while a peacock blue mug is brimming with hot coffee. Jumping into my van I am making my eight-minute commute to my urban farm in West Sacramento from Downtown Sacramento.

It was about half way through the season in mid-June that I really hit my stride. It didn’t matter if there was a little or a lot of work to be done on the farm that day. What mattered was I made the commitment to wake up and go to the farm first. 

Starting a business is never easy. If you were used to playing one role at a job before launching on your own; upon staring you now become a sales person, social media manager, accountant, and farmer, in my case all at once. There was more than one benefit I gained from my morning ritual.

If I wasn’t motivated by the time I left the apartment, by the time I had worked for an hour or three at the farm there was warmth in my body and some dirt on my hands. There was an immediate gratification from the completion of a physical task. While I was working my mind was open to wander in peace which allowed insights and opportunities to present themselves. When I was done, I would leave with a since of accomplishment and spark to keep my efforts going.

Farming I found, I did for myself. Not anyone else. And its greatest return was the power it gave me to focus which in turn expanded my mental capacity for the rest of the day. There were days I didn’t have to do anything. Yet by digging out every weed or just picking a few flowers it was enough to ground my thoughts. 

Finding your rhythm may take time. Finding what really focuses your energy may take longer. Just start by making a commitment to something you have always been meaning to do and do that first. Either for the first 15 minutes after your morning coffee or three-hours if you have the chance. Don’t worry about the outcome. The process reveals numerous lessons in their season.