Last Day

Monday morning at the farm, I harvested salad mix and arugula for 3 hours. Then my alarm went off and it was time to pick up Matthew from preschool.

My day at the farm was done.

My season at the farm was done. 

I wasn't exactly sure what to say or do. My bosses were still working, the wash-pack folks were clanging around and chatting, and I wasn't sure how to say good bye. Or if. I just kinda stood there waiting for someone to make eye contact with me. My boss John was the lucky winner. He looked at me funny like, "What are you doing?" then he noticed the time and acknowledged that I was done for the day. I said thanks and see ya' later and turned to leave the pack shed. I'm glad we didn't say anything about this being my last day. It felt like leaving the farm any other day, really, until I shut the door behind me. Then I got that feeling like the ground had dropped out from beneath me. I caught my breath and held it while the sadness welled up and slowly evaporated away.

By the time I reached my car, I was okay again. There will be another season, sure, but I just needed a moment to mourn the ending of this one.