Our presence in the Advent season

Nazareth was a small village of Galilee with a small population of less than five hundred. To many, it was of little to no importance and not much happened. It was small, poor and unassuming. It escaped the noise and activity of the big city.

Mary, born in Nazareth, would have had a disposition that reflected the village in which she grew up, as our external environments directly affect our internal environments. As dairy farmers, we can testify to this. The non-stop demands of milking, feeding, market trends, employees, breakdowns, projects and, not to mention, family commitments, make dairy farming one of the most demanding and stressful occupations. Add in all the extra demands of the cold winter and holidays, and we have set ourselves up for another season that sends us running and leaves us exhausted after it has again flown on by.

In reflection of the impending Christmas season, we are again challenging ourselves with the act of being present. As the world around us is spinning into a frenzy, Advent is inviting us to slow down. Sounds simple, but it is much more difficult than one would think. Presence is an acquired skill we tend to forget about. One that takes practice — a lot of practice. Being present is the act of being joyful in whatever you are doing, grateful that you are able to do the task, and fully appreciating the moment and the task itself. The hard part is being fully engaged in the current moment, without distraction, and without dwelling on the past and planning or worrying about the future.

On the farm, there are many things coming at us all at once, and it can quickly become overwhelming. Sometimes we can feel a lack of control, with fires arising that need to quickly be put out. Focusing on the present moment and specific tasks at hand frees us from anxiety and helps us develop a sense of appreciation and gratitude for what is going well for us right now in this moment.

Here are a few easy strategies that will allow you to practice some presence this year and develop a sense of solace and gratitude that the Advent season is suggesting.

First, we suggest monotasking. Focus on one task at a time. Focus on completing that task to the best of your ability. When we do two things at once, we oftentimes do both tasks half as well.

Leave the phone behind. During the day, Megan intentionally leaves her phone in the office or vet room. The constant dinging and ringing are notorious for interrupting focus and distracting from completing the task at hand. It can be difficult, as we increasingly rely on our phones for everything from cow records and health data to communication within our team. But moments of silence can give time for contemplation, gratitude and observation. If you can’t leave the phone behind, turn off the notifications on your apps. Do we all need to know exactly when an email has arrived? We certainly don’t need to know the moment a post is liked on Facebook, a message is received or a post is shared on social media. Silence the buzzing, dinging and ringing to return some peace and quiet to our lives.

Set time limits. There’s also a great feature on our phones called time limit. Set a limit of 30 minutes for your social media apps. You will be shocked to find how quickly that time passes by and how often and quickly you hit the limit. Or, if you are feeling more ambitious, take a break from social media altogether for a set period of a few days, weeks or months. 

When you prioritize your presence, you are gifting yourself a more balanced, grateful and fulfilling life, one that this Advent is inviting us all to enjoy this Christmas season.

Megan Schrupp and Ellen Stenger are sisters and co-owners of both NexGen Dairy and NexGen Market in Eden Valley, Minnesota. They can be reached at [email protected].