A Different String

chilli ristra in the making

It's Valentine's Day today, there are one hundred and sixty-eight hours to the week, twenty-eight days of February in 2011 and only nine shifts before I leave the job I love.

It's about time I left. Life wasn't meant to be static. I'm trading in my full-time work for full-time study and it's a little scary stepping back out into the unknown.

I'm going to miss my awesome boss and the inspiring people who I've spent the last two and a half years with. My time here really helped me to discover what it is that I'm passionate about, and for that I'm most thankful.

I'm not leaving the food industry, merely wandering down the path less taken, admiring a newly completed scenic route.

It's going to be hard. I can see it being completely overwhelming - the house, the car, the mortgage, the weekend work, the forty plus hours of study per week, the self-motivation and dedication that I'll need to get through the next three years and come out sane.. and successful..

While some people might ask: "How long is a piece of string?", I want to analyse the damn thing before hurrying along to find out what lies at the other end.

Leaving you with words from Joel Salatin himself:
                   
                        
                               "May all your carrots grow long and straight,
                                may the foxes be struck blind by your chickens,
                                may your customers love cooking your food in their kitchens,
                                may the rains be gentle on your pastures,
                                may your fields grow with soil,
                                may your earthworms dance with celebration,
                                may the wind be always at your back,
                                your children rise up and call you blessed,
                                and may we all leave a better world than we found."

(Chef & soon-to-be Food Sustainability student @ UWS)