Sacrifice

Life on the land, and producing the raw products that allow us the lives we are accustomed to, comes with many sacrifices. 

We sacrifice our innocence. Each time we put an animal down we are putting their need to be out of pain above our need not to take another life. 

~ We gain the knowledge that we have done what is right by them.

We sacrifice being a large part (2-6 years) of our children's childhood so they can have an education. We send them to boarding school and ask them to grow up before many other children do. 

~ We gain the knowledge that they will have the best start in their life whatever they choose to do.

We as children sacrifice our need to be at home with our parents because we trust that they are doing the right thing by us. We trust in a need for education and a need for life on the land that means we can't move to the city. 

~ We gain the knowledge of love and what our parents are willing to give up for us.

We sacrifice our time in many, many ways. Our mornings to the bushfire radio, our sleep ins to the school bus, our weekends to the stock that need food and water, our school holidays and family festivities to harvest. 

~ We gain the ability to see past our own needs. 

We sacrifice our well being at times. If a fire goes up we drop everything to ensure all lives are safe, that minimal damage is done and that it can't re-ignite. 

~ We gain the feeling of safety in knowing people will come to our aid just as we do for them. 

We sacrifice the ability to have a 9-5 job that doesn't necessarily require our attention once we get home again. We don't have a job and a life, they are one and the same. 

~ We gain a much larger sense of satisfaction in each work task as it's also a life achievement.

Life on the land is in many ways one large sacrifice, yet we choose it willingly. We choose to let our children grow up in this lifestyle, we choose the small town communities, we choose the non-stop work and pushing through the need for a sleep in or a weekend. We choose this life on the land because we believe in what we provide to the world and we believe in the benefits it provides us. With every sacrifice is a positive effect for ourselves and those around us. They are not always tangible and we sometimes lose sight of them on the journey through everyday life but they are always there. 

Even the little benefits like the things I get to photograph are worthwhile in a very large way. 

Yesterday's beautiful afternoon muster, warm sun and a cool breeze plus happy weaners. :)

This moth is very deceptive, he almost looks like a spider with those fake legs!

Full bins, money coming back in after a year of expenditure.

Birds of prey keeping up surveillance. They're there I promise! Just to the right of the leaning dead tree, sitting on a dead branch above the still growing branches.