My Story
It’s never too late to follow your dream. Trust me, I know!
For as long as I can remember, all the way back to my early childhood, I have LOVED animals. I’ve had cats, dogs, birds, a horse, turtle, lizard, hedgehog and of course…chickens! A majority of them have been strays or rescues who somehow found their way to me.
And that doesn’t include the wild animals I’ve found injured or abandoned, and then cared for until they could be released.
Growing up, I was certain that one day I would work with animals. It was my dream.
When Your Dream Is Stolen…
I took riding lessons as a little girl and got my horse, Windy, when I was a teenager. Every spare moment, I was with that horse. I rode her on trails, on country roads, through fields, in parades and even to the donut shop.
As I was about to graduate from high school, I went to the guidance counselor for career advice. I said, “I think I want to be a large animal vet.”
Her reply: “Oh, that’s not something women do. You have good grades in health and science. You should be a nurse or hygienist.” (It was the ‘70s. Fortunately, we’ve come a long way since then.)
My dream died that day. I was obedient and became a hygienist. But, after 21 years of that I felt dead inside. I was just going through the motions.
In my late 20’s, I had been diagnosed with multiple auto-immune diseases. Not wanting to manage my health with medications, I looked for alternative ways to address my symptoms. That lead me to nutritional supplements, eating more healthy foods and eventually, to growing a vegetable garden.
I was able to get my symptoms completely under control without the use of medications, and emboldened by that accomplishment I quit my job. It was liberating!
There Is Always Another Dream Inside You
I did a home-based business and a series of retail jobs, but hadn’t really found what was “next” for me. That’s when I got a vision for the homestead life. Our family moved from the city to the suburbs, leaving behind a postage-stamp-size backyard for one more than half an acre. I could suddenly grow all the flowers, vegetables and fruits I wanted!
Several years ago I got my first flock of backyard chickens and fell in LOVE with them. I also began composting, making my own laundry soap and trying to reduce the use of chemicals in our home. My husband saw my passion for living differently and said, “You’ve always loved learning new things. Why don’t you teach other people how to do this, too?”
What he didn’t realize is that in my heart, I was already there. I just hadn’t voiced it.
We decided to start with a course for teaching people how to keep backyard chickens. Raising Naomi: Your First Year With Backyard Chickens, our online video training, is now a reality and I am so excited about that!
As our vision for a homestead life grows greater by the day, we are already planning additional courses and learning activities for those who want to join us at Homesteader Me.
Keep Moving Forward And Good Things Will Happen
As my husband and I began to work on Homesteader Me, I was also looking for work that would align with my passion and provide us a steady second income while we built our business. I wasn’t sure what that would be, but I knew it wouldn’t be dental hygiene! (My license had long expired.)
Then one day, over coffee, my friend Denise asked me out of the blue: “Would you want to be our greenhouse manager?” I was shocked. I had absolutely no experience in that field.
That didn’t matter to Denise. She and Eric simply wanted someone who was conscientious and willing to learn. Today, I’m doing what I love: working with nature, planting, growing and tending.
This experience has expanded my homestead vision even further and I have never been more excited about the future.
This I believe with all my heart: there is a Big Dream inside all of us, and when we pursue it with passion and perseverance wonderful things happen. Never, NEVER give up on your dream. It’s never too late to reclaim life!
