Learning From Our Mistakes

Dear Friends,

I've had some things rolling around in my mind lately that I thought I would share with you. First off, it's okay to make mistakes! In fact, most of our learning comes from making our own mistakes. We may glean information from others' experiences from books or word of mouth, try to follow what others have done, and then fail miserably in our attempts, just because our situation is completely unique to ourselves.

For instance: this spring I was watching lots of YouTube videos to learn new things about how to turn our four acres of land into a productive homestead. Justin Rhodes had a set-up with two American Guinea Hogs and thirty chickens in portable electric fencing that beautifully prepared his garden for planting. I thought that sounded like a great idea, so I found a couple of adorable American Guinea x Kune Kune piglets and a dozen hens (on top of a dozen chicks from Tractor Supply) to get started. I noticed that the piglets weren't rooting very much, but a friend reassured me that their snouts were still soft and they would in time. Well, several hundred pounds of feed later, they still would only root a little bit, then start wallowing in one spot. Apparently, Kune Kune aren't able to root well, since their snouts are shorter. These pigs wouldn't eat the grass they were supposed to eat, either, so we ended up selling them before we took our trip out West. From a purely financial point of view, it was a complete disaster, but from the experience point of view, it was a valuable lesson that there are pigs, and then there are pigs! Who knew?

Then there were the chicks we bought last year at the farmers market that turned out to be all roosters except one. What a learning experience THAT was! So this year, I have resisted the cute little chicks peeping at the market, and have gone with chicks that are guaranteed to be pullets.

I could go on and on, but my point is that as long as we are living, we will make mistakes, and that mistakes are perfectly okay! We shouldn't beat ourselves up over them and repeat them to ourselves over and over, punishing ourselves for not knowing better. When we act to the best of our knowledge and ability, then the so-called "mistakes" that happen are just a tool to help us learn and grow. Someone once said, "He who makes no mistakes rarely makes anything." I would encourage you to go out and give life your all, knowing that everything works out in the end, and that those experiences you will gain will be for your benefit in the end.

Love,

Marqueta

"A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life."

~James Allen