Zen and the Art of Raising Chickens

Welcome to the July Mindful Mama Carnival: Mindfulness and Nature

This post was written for inclusion in the Mindful Mama Carnival hosted by Becoming Crunchy and TouchstoneZ. This month our participants have shared their experiences of mindfulness and the natural world. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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Raising chickens in our city backyard has had many surprising and enjoyable fringe benefits.  While we expected things like a little extra work, some companionship, and eventually fresh eggs, it never occurred to me that the chickens would do yardwork.  We haven’t had to mow since the chickens were big enough to free-range in the yard.  I also didn’t realize how relaxing it is to just sit and watch six chickens interact with each other and the world around them.

We call it “Chicken TV.”  Far better than anything on the boob tube, I assure you.

There is something very relaxing about pouring a glass of ice cold sun tea and sitting outside on the steps or on the swing to watch the chickens at play.  It gives me an opportunity to enjoy our beautiful outdoors, to feel the sun on my face and the breeze against my skin and take in the fresh air.  The chickens provide ample comedy, with their chasing and clucking, their pecking and puttering around.   Their interactions are complex, and they clearly have a set social structure that is beyond my own understanding.  I love to marvel at it.

And without fail, eventually I stop seeing chickens at play and start simply being among the natural world that’s happening right in my yard.  The garden is growing.  Ants are crawling, bees are buzzing.  Birds are flitting around the feeder, squirrels are eyeing up the garden.  The yard is full of life.

Even the toddler gets into it.  While he prefers to chase the chickens around the yard (I swear we will have the skinniest, fittest chickens on earth), even he can appreciate what a wonder they are.

Before I know it, thirty minutes has passed, or forty-five, or an hour.  Instead of feeling drained like I do after an hour of screen time, I feel refreshed, renewed, and full of an appreciation for the complexity in such simple little things.

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Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Zen and the Art of Raising Chickens Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction has found a connection to nature in her very own backyard, thanks to her chickens.
• Healing Gemstones and Crystals for Children Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama discusses which genstones and crystals are best used by children to support physical, emotional, and/or spiritual healing.
• A Gardener’s Meditation Andrea at Tales of Goodness shares how she finds peace and renewal through gardening.
• Weeding My Thoughts Amanda at Let’s Take the Metro discusses how nature keeps her in the moment and stops her endless stream of thoughts.
• Grounded in Nature Rani at OmSheSaid shares her walk in nature, and through expressive words, shares this journey to coming home.
• Embracing the Magic of Moonlit Nights Lucy at Dreaming Aloud shares ways to embrace the magic of moonlit nights with your children and as a woman.
• Meditation for a Mindful Mama Alinka at Baby Web guides you through her research on the science of meditation, its numerous benefits, and presents to you a life changing meditation exercise.
• The Wild Within Naturemummy at Motherhood: My Latest Adventure reflects on the soothing qualities of wild places.
• Nature’s Lessons in Mindfulness Tat at Mum in Search wants to bring the same mindfulness that comes so easily in nature to her relationships.
• On Manicured Nature: We Roam in Small Spaces Featherstory at The Aniweda Dream shares her gratitude for her limited natural settings and her plans to expand her children’s experience with the natural world.
• Garden (Time Out) Meditation Do you ever need a time out for yourself? Amy at Anktangle finds that during a difficult parenting moment, taking pause to spend a few minutes outside is just the thing she needs to be able to experience renewed patience, focus, and energy.
• Nature Makes Me a Better Mother Terri at Child of the Nature Isle could not imagine parenting without Mother Nature.
• Natural Renewal Karen at Playful Planet shares her experiences of reneweal in the natural world.
• Natural History Kenna at A Million Tiny Things gets out into nature, 200 years ago, and isn’t sure she likes it there.
• Nurtured by Nature Darcel at The Mahogany Way shares with us how being in nature helps her feel centered and connected.
• Mindfulness and Nature Zoie at TouchstoneZ explores the connection between mindfulness and the natural world.
• A Sense of Awe and Wonder Kelly at Becoming Crunchy shares the feeling she never fails to get from the natural world and how it guides her to the mindfulness she craves.