Imitating Trees

Time seems to move differently here in Hawaii. The days are long and are met with a stillness that upon my arrival was unnerving. For a city girl like me the slow pace made me a bit anxious. Now that I've settled into this strange time space continuum I find it empowering. I spend my days doing work that is filled with silence. It's amazing that if you're used to constant noise how the absence of sound can be so loud. The absence of noise is what strikes you, what causes you to pay attention. I spend a lot of time in the field tearing up weeds and unwrapping vines from the coffee trees. Some of the trees, the ones I call "under attack", take up to 15 minutes to unravel. In that time I find myself thinking about the trees and what it is that may need to be untangled in my own life. I try to imitate the trees, to let go and give myself over to the process and time it takes to become untangled. I have always been someone who spends a lot of time in my head. Im learning that you can be in your head without thinking about your past or planning for your future. This experience is teaching me to be present in my moments.
Most of the farmers I've met have been gentle souls and have had a calm presence. I think their secret is in the ordinariness of their work. The ordinary becomes sacred on a farm. While the labor is intense the reward is a simplicity of spirit and the one thing you don't lack on a farm is time to think. At least not before the invention of ipods.