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Hey Reader,
As you’re reading this, I’m a week into being the oldest I’ve ever been. Last weekend, I celebrated my birthday on a farm in Alabama. I know it may sound random, but let me cook.
I visited The Charleston Farm, a Black-owned fourth-generation farm that has gone viral on social media for sharing farming tips with its global audience. The tour starts with a family chat under a shade tree, sharing jokes and anecdotes, before walking the land. According to Mr. Charleston, they’re just “regular folk” who are “as country as spring water,” but one step onto their land, and you know it’s something special.
The best part was that Dr. Charleston Clay, the daughter responsible for their viral social media presence, is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and completed her graduate internship at my alma mater. We both found out these details after the tour and couldn’t believe it. You never know where social media, a sisterhood, and the Bradley University connection will find you.
As much as I love social media and entertainment, I also grew up with parents from the South who said, “Turn that TV off and go play outside!” There’s something about that duality that keeps you grounded in a world that moves at hyperspeed.
Speaking of hyperspeed, this week I saw a lot of headlines across sectors of business and in academia. I also have close friends pushing through some tough seasons. There is so much going on that I questioned what to write to you about.
Do I mention what I’m seeing in the trending topics?
Is it insensitive and inauthentic to offer words of encouragement when we all see the state of the world?
Should I skip this week?
As I returned to the blank Google doc multiple times, I thought back to some of the words of wisdom Mr. Charleston (Dr. Charleston Clay’s dad) shared on the farm. At 66 years young, he is a walking encyclopedia. While teaching us about trees and lumber, he told stories about how his maternal grandmother, a midwife, would make a paste from dried berries and petroleum jelly to treat children’s burns when doctors were out of remedies. He taught us how to tell which direction we were facing by throwing grass into the air and watching which way the wind blew it. His words were laced with wisdom and a thick, country accent.
While walking the land, he turned to the group and said this:
“I come out here and think and get my thoughts together about what I need to try to be doing. Because sometimes, when you get around a whole bunch of other stuff, the distractions take away your meditation time.”
When I looked at my Google Doc, I thought, “He’s right.” While I don’t have a physical farm, I knew things were being planted on the farm in my mind, which slowly grew into distractions. I took a cue from Mr. Charleston by slowing down my thoughts to organize them.
Some of that looked like restarting a book I put down years ago (Shine Bright by Danyel Smith), listening to new music from my “analyze these songs later” playlist, resting, and going out to eat with a close friend. I even re-read my birthday cards and texts. I still monitored headlines, but I did so from a distance. This allowed me to stay informed without being consumed.
Throughout the week, I was reminded that I have never written or made content for others to admire my life or my thoughts. I appreciate when people tell me my work inspires them, but that’s not my motivation. Beyond it being fun for me, I create content to remind others that they can create a purposeful life without completely losing themselves. And if we do lose ourselves for a bit, that’s okay too, because we can always find our way. It was good to be reminded of that as I begin my new lap around the sun.
If a seed was planted in the farm of your mind that grew into a distraction, I encourage you to take a lesson from The Charlestons and do a little pruning of your own thoughts.
Cheers to life, growth, and a good harvest.
Always speak life,
Vannesia
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