Baa Baa Black or Rather White Sheep

I had an interesting encounter late this afternoon. I was sitting in the Victor Allen Coffee Shop on Monroe Street reading The Go-Giver and sipping hot tea. The woman sitting across from me mentioned that I still had my Stark name tag on. I said that is is a good conversation opener. She told me that she was exhausted because it is lambing season. Well that was certainly a conversation opener. I had to find out all about her farm which she operates as a Sustainable Living Farm. Although Suellen is Australian, she did not grow up on a sheep farm. I was in awe as Suellen operates her farm as a single woman, home schools her children, makes organic mattress toppers and comforters, and runs day camps and classes at her farm. She and her children have set up rain gardens as well as other environmentally friendly features at Kinkoona Farm.

Are you interested in Sustainable Living? Suellen is going to run workshops at her farm to engage the public in changing the way that we live. The other interesting part of today's conversation was the Suellen had called in an agronomist to help her evaluate her soil. I had mentioned that my husband is an agronomist. It turned out that she had my husband's name and had called his company the Landmark Coop to help her with the soil.
Now why was it important that I was reading The Go Giver? The premise of the book is that you only get out of this world what you put into it. In other words, give unto others as you would have them give unto you. If you give and help others, then your life will be fulfilled and your business will expand. I told Suellen that I thought that she's courageous starting a farm as a single woman with 2 young children. I also told her that I have a friend that moved to Madison as a single woman to restart her life and is looking for a job. I also find that very brave. It turns out that Suellen is looking for a woman just like that to work with her.

Not only is the world really small, but I left the coffee shop feeling good that I might have helped 2 people out, just by wearing my nametag as a conversation starter.