The agricultural supply chain experienced significant disruptions.  The promising forecasts for a better year for dairy farmers evaporated in the spring as the pandemic gripped the country. More recently rural communities came face-to-face with the medical realities of this crisis as friends, neighbors, and family members fell ill. For many the sporting events and school activities we look forward to were cancelled. Our kids may be navigating the whiplash back and forth between virtual and in-person school.

Time has continued, but the world we’re navigating is not the same. Everywhere we look there seems to be more division and uncertainty, more stressors, more anger.

The farming culture I grew up in didn’t encourage reaching out for support. Though no one said it directly, I understood that feeling sad or anxious or overwhelmed was simply irrelevant if there was work to be done. As I’ve grown older, and had kids of my own, I’ve come to understand that this attitude of stoic endurance doesn’t always serve us well. Of course, the chores must get down and the livestock fed. But if we don’t pause sometimes to reach out and connect, we aren’t able to take care of all that’s important to us and be who we want to be.

We have all been impacted by the pandemic: economically, emotionally, socially. Reaching out for support is not a sign of weakness. Connecting with family and friends – and sometimes those beyond our usual circles, can be important for maintaining our strength.