27 November

Selling the farm. And simplicity on Black Friday

by Jon Katz

  The decision to sell or stay on the farm is complex, and involves creativity,  money, maturity, clarity. It isn’t just a matter of following the heart. Or the mind. I wish it were that simple, and I’ve made many decisions that way. Bedlam Farm is a brand, an idea, as well as a home. I am mindful of the times. Of living simply, economically, with an eye on being less wasteful. Today is Black Friday, perhaps the most truly American of “holidays,” and it reminds me that living simply and  with an eye towards waste and scale isn’t just a matter of economics, but the proper temper of the times.
  Black Friday has become the barometer of America’s spiritual health, surpassing Thanksgiving. It’s creepy to listen to so called serious newscasts talk about Black Friday as if it were Christmas and New Year’s all rolled into one.
  Maria and I have talked about living on a New Bedlam Farm, which is smaller, open, environmentally sound. More ethical, if you will. Not that the farm is a palace. I do want to live more cheaply and simply, for all kinds of reasons. Balanced against that is true love of the farm, and an appreciation for the personal creative –  and yes, financially  – rewards it has brought me.It is very tempting for me to just say, well I love it here, and it’s a bad market, so stay. I think I’ll think through it a bit more than that. And as promised, I will share the process. That, I see, is important. And I will be honest about it.
 I have for most of my life been an impulse person, who passed on the details to other people. I don’t want to do that anymore.
 I want to understand the details and consider them.

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