Call it pure serendipity. I was meant to visit the Partington farm. I am grateful that the only seat available to watch the Tour de France at Birchwood Cafe nearly two years ago was next to a fine lady named Chanda. I ran into her again at Birchwood months later and she gave me the e-mail of Alex and Gareth Partington and said that if I visited their farm in New Zealand it would change my life. A year and a half later I visited their home and it has changed my life.
Imagine a five-year-old girl galloping through a vineyard with her pony-on-a-stick Buttercup in one hand and an apple in another hand. She is wearing a black bodysuit and she is completely free in her imaginative world. Her name is Yeshe, which in Tibetan means wisdom. Yeshe has a passion for life that is as refreshing as the ice-in-a-cup she frequently made me for dinner. Yeshe is feisty, witty, curious, and darn right silly. She is the best active-listener I've come across in quite sometime. She looked at me intently when talking, said her please and thank yous and followed up with everything I said. Nothing gets by Yeshe. She has, without a doubt, shed wisdom and light into my world. Yeshe is one of three stunningly beautiful girls that I got to know on the farm. Lily is ten and Mia is eight. Alex is their wonderful mother and Gareth is their father. Unfortunately, Gareth was away for work during my visit.
The family extends to the animals and every animal on the farm has a name. I took a particular liking to the goats named Zenia and Oak. I milked Zenia in the evening while my friend Anna from Spain milked her in the morning. The process of milking: sterilize the milk container, mix their food, get a pale of water, shut the electric fence off, place the food on the milk stand to get Zenia in position, waste the first squeeze, hold milk container between legs and start squeezing! All of this is done under an evergreen called Old Man Pine. If the goats are lucky they get evergreen needles for dessert. The process ends by turning the electric fence back on, sterilizing the strainer, and putting the milk into jugs to drink immediately. I have thoroughly enjoyed raw goat milk in my coffee and tea. I also had the best feta cheese from Zenia's milk.
The Partington farm also has sheep, cows, chickens, a vegetable garden, and an organic vineyard. I frequently worked in the vineyard plucking grape vines to insure a smooth harvest in approximately a month and half. It was a delight to taste all of the lovely wines the vineyard produced over the years. One night I enjoyed a glass of chardonnay with chicken, gravy, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, and cauliflower. It was a meal for eight, as the Partingtons often have guests over. We dressed up, wore jewelry, played music and laughed over a divine meal. I was embraced like family. There have been dance parties, yoga sessions, swimming, story time, kayaking, card making, Buddhist practices, and a special bike ride with Yeshe.
The farm comes with its challenges though. After the first time of feeding the goats and milking Zenia on my own, Oak became very ill. She did not stand for days and had bright red bloody stools. Her bottom became covered in flies and maggots. I had a very hard time with this and felt that it must have been something I fed her. For days we gave her syringes of water and wiped her bottom. We thought that Oak was a goner, but slowly she started gaining strength and her stools were no longer bloody. When I left, Oak was standing on her own and eating again.
Living on the farm with four beautiful women who gracefully embrace their bodies made me very comfortable in my own skin. I didn't shave my legs or shampoo my hair for a week. Actually, we all put coconut oil in our hair and called our greasy hair beautiful. We often walked around the house naked and free. We ate cold lamb meat with a big slab of butter on each bite. We had lard or butter on nearly everything. It was blissful.
As for technology, I went days without internet, TV, and phone. Twice when I went to the Buddhist Center (the Partingtons are active Buddhists) I was able to access internet. It was difficult at first to let go of my connection with the "other" world while I was on the farm. I had no idea what the weather would be like the next day, if there was a global crisis, or how my friends and family were doing. There was no instant gratification. Using the internet became a rare luxury. I'm grateful that Alex encouraged me not use the internet and phone as much as possible. It allowed me to be less attached to what was happening at home. As a result, I was more present with my new family. My relationships become stronger and more meaningful when I had to lean on near-strangers during difficult times. I wouldn't have had amazing conversations with Alex if I was trying to connect with home.
Although uncomfortable at times, it was good for me to step outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself in a completely different environment. With every challenge, I grew more as person. It was beautiful for me to see the way in which Alex is raising her three girls. It is unlike anything I've seen at home. Their love, compassion, and spirit shine through in every detail of their life. Alex taught me how to better express my thoughts and needs in an honest and direct way. She also provided me with an example of unconditional love. I hope this blog entry inspires you to happy and free and to live a compassionate life, just as little Yeshe and the Partington family have inspired me to do so.
