An Overture

Call me Ishmael. That's not my name, but like he I have several blanched aquatic mammals to introduce:

• A desire to be braver, tougher, more independent, and less afraid of the unknown.
• A dream to learn to live in the moment.
• A genuine curiosity about the workings of a real American farm.
• A need for work to do as I figure out what the hell I'm doing with my life.

These whales are probably the truest reasons as to why I drove 1000 miles away from home, by myself, to a city and state where I'd never been, to live with people I'd never met, and to do a job I'd never done.

For a gal who still sleeps with the light on...this is a big deal.

My name is Dorkas, and 3 days ago I began an 8-10 week stint working on a farm in Washington state in exchange for room and board. Several people suggested I keep a blog about the experience, but I initially hesitated for two reasons. First of all, it seemed so...attention-seeking. And yet, I have read the blogs of friends and never felt that way about them. Not to mention, it's always the reader's choice to open or close the page.

The second reason is that the innate concept of a blog somewhat contrasts with whale #2, learning to live in the moment. The effort to make sure to record an event can end up interfering with actually EXPERIENCING the event. So I'm going to give this a try, but if I find myself constantly thinking about what I'm going to write next...t'will be a problem. If I can write about this experience without letting the writing BECOME the experience, then I will consider it to have been a good lesson in balance.

And, let's be honest, I'm just arrogant enough to think that some people will actually read this thing.

μηδὲν ἄγαν,

Dorkas