The Finca- Day Three

by annie

I bend over, and with both hands, pull out an entire fennel bush from the root. Houston's land is full of fennel bushes, so I bend over and do it again. And again. Until I have 8 overflowing wheelbarrow loads full of fennel shrubs. It sounds simple enough- it is. And also tiring. Six hours of it goes by faster than you might think. Because while pulling weeds, I can think about absolutely anything I want. Or, I can not think. I can just feel the wind on my skin, the sun on my back, the strain in my neck. And when I stop, I can feel my body shaking- a revolt of sorts from suddenly being used 6 hours a day.

Two months ago, I woke up at 7am to put on make-up and high heels and sit at a desk with a computer. Today, I wake at 10am, pull on a pair of borrowed sweat pants and my work boots, and step outside where I'll spend all day in the warm sun.

There is something uniquely satisfying about working until you shake, waking up feeling like you've slept in the Iron Maiden all night, eating two or three helpings of food because that's what it takes to be full, and smelling the dirt and the green while uncovering a surprising amount of bugs you've never seen.

It's only day three, and I'm not adjusted to manual labor. I look forward to when my body actually develops the muscles I needed three days ago. I look forward to feeling at home in myself, despite my surroundings. I look forward to finding a way to fill the void that seems to grow larger each day I spend away from my friends and family.

And then I realize, today is the day I looked forward to two months ago. And so it's time to stop looking forward and instead look around, here, on a beautiful solar/wind powered finca in Spain.