Role Playing

After a couple of rain delays and a bit of impatience on my part, we will be planting the Salsa Garden at the Southwood Market House this week! I'm looking forward to posting pictures of the planting process and finished bed, because that'll mean it's really happened. I will have started the process of becoming a farmer. Or something like a farmer, anyway.

I wonder sometimes if it's a role I'm going to be able to pull off. Despite being the daughter of garden center owners, I've never been much of a gardener (although I certainly did marry one). I'm not entirely sure what being a farmer actually entails. It was never a particular aspiration of mine. So why am I doing it?

My stock answer to the "what do you want to be" inquiries we all endure as children was "a writer." I kept it purposely vague, since I had no idea what I wanted to write about. I only knew that stringing words together came easily to me and I liked doing it. I studied journalism in college, worked as a copyeditor, and then toiled for a year as a high school newspaper advisor.

By that time I had been married a couple of years, and lacking any particular enthusiasm toward either of those careers, I launched into the only role I absolutely knew I wanted: motherhood. Politically, there's a lot of talk these days about moms working in the home or out of the home. The bottom line of it is that you have to do what's best for your family and your situation. For me and my family, I had to get out of the house.

So I went to work part time as an administrative assistant for my dad at Southwood. It was perfect for what I needed, a flexible and laid-back job that would allow me to interact with adults and let me contribute financially to our household. It didn't necessarily fit with the journalism career I envisioned for myself, but it would give me more freedom to personally attend to my kids' needs.

Fast forward 10 years to today, and I wonder why I ever wanted to go anywhere besides Southwood. I love being a part of my family's business, and I feel a genuine ownership for what we do, who we are, and our place in this community. With my sister back in town, things are falling into place nicely for us to develop and expand the company.

Which brings me to Southwood Farm & Market, and planting a Salsa Garden. I feel like I'm merging a series of  roles in my life. Business owner seeking opportunity. Citizen of Tulsa/Jenks seeking a way to give back. Concerned mother seeking a sustainable lifestyle for my children. Woman seeking better health awareness. Human seeking connection to the Earth. It's kind of exciting, not knowing what I'm going to find.