Senwes Scenario December 2017 - March 2018 | Page 32

••••
F UT UR E F OC U S
Waiting to exhale...
JENNY MATHEWS
SO MUCH ABOUT BEING
A FARMER INVOLVES
PLAYING THE WAITING
GAME - IT SOMETIMES
FEELS AS IF I AM
PERMANENTLY HOLDING
MY BREATH!
W
aiting haunts us merci-
lessly from one season
to the next... waiting for the first
signs of clouds gathering to bring
rain... watching the soil for signs
of new life pushing fresh green
tendrils through the earth’s crust...
waiting to hear if your loan
application has been approved
by financiers... or it’s that tense
watching and waiting which
follows a put or call placement
to see if you have made a good
decision.... or not! I once heard
someone say that in farming you
don’t hold your breath... you hold
your nerve! The question is how
do we manage this so it takes as
little toll on our lives, families and
careers as possible?
30
JUST BREATHE
My husband learnt a valuable
lesson when he heard his father
encouraging a neighbour facing
troubled times: “Troubles will
come - and go! The important
thing is to make sure that YOU
stay strong enough to face the
challenges - NEVER EVER allow
the challenges to destroy you
first!!!” This insight came from a
farmer who’d experienced years
of hardship, war, depression and
drought... That neighbour almost
hit rock bottom but he hung in,
made a few changes and today is
still a successful farmer. The chal-
lenge lies in finding the ability to
DEC 2017-MAR 2018 • SENWES Scenario
be wise and calculated rather than
just drift helplessly - to adapt,
change and keep the faith not
because there are no challenges -
but in spite of them.
THE LITTLE FOXES RUIN
THE VINEYARD
(Song of Solomon 2:15)
In his book ‘Forget the Elephants,
Watch out for the Fleas’, Justin
Herald says “Most people’s prob-
lems start out as small as a flea,
but too often those issues are left
unaddressed to become as huge
as elephants.” When one is faced
with BIG issues one is inclined
to only see those challenges but