Chickens

In Sweden i am trying to live a sustainable lifestyle surrounded by nature. After living for 35 years in a city in the Netherlands this new lifestyle comes with challenges.

Like following the four seasons and natures rythem, cultural differences, another language and my choice to live minimalistic with my family (husband and two teenagers) in our tiny selfbuild house.

When it gets though i sometimes ask myself, why on earth did i left everything behind? My whole life, friends, family and my big house?

The fear of choosing for one thing comes with the fear of loosing another. That was one of the things that made it hard for me to commit to my life in Sweden. Because i feared loosing what i had in my homeland. It is hard for people in general to choose the unknown. We rather hang on to the safety of knowing what we have even when it’s not so good. As an empath and highly sensitive introvert i always try to seek answers and development in the Spiritual world. I feel more than i think. So for the answers on why i left everything behind i needed to go deep in my spiritual being. It wasn’t just simple because my husband got a good job in Sweden.

One of the answers i found within was triggered by…chickens!

Years ago i decided to stop eating animals and animal products as much as was possible for me. As a nutrtitionist i knew it was better for my health proces. And I felt heartbroken when i was confronted with the horror of how we humans use and abuse all animals for consumption in every way and the environmental impact eating meat and consuming diary products had and has.

Living a sustainable lifestyle is living with consciousness. This was one of the reasons i wanted to adopt some chickens and a rouster. To be able to eat (things with) eggs from chickens i took care of myself felt good. Chickens are also very good for the eco system if you want to have a vegetable garden. Because their manure helps to create a healthy soil that vegetables need to grow. (I am still in a learning proces on how to grow veggies the best way).

My chickens where free to walk around the whole plot and garden. 3500 square meters for them to live like a chicken should live. I only gave them organic food to be certain of my own eco organic cycle. What i never expected was that chickens have personality’s. Each of them a chicken but with specific own ways of behaving and looks. When meditating i always got sidetracked because i found myself obeserving the flock.

What a joy it was to see them eat worms and insects out of the ground, ruin my (chilipepper) plants, eat all wild berries before i could pick them, run towards me when they heard me. Sometimes they would jump on my head or lapp like dogs do.

One time i took a nap in the sun on my loungeset outside and had this strange feeling i was being watched. When i opened my eyes there where 5 chickens standing in front of me watching me.

And the most adorable thing of all was watching them while they took a dustbath in the sun.

Just observing the flock was for me a way to really get to know them as a group and as individuals.

The strongest of the group was The Mother. After our holiday whe came back finding her sitting on 20 eggs denying herself water and food. She was so loyal and we where all sad to find out all eggs where dead. It took her a while to get back in her normal happy shape as leader of the flock.

The weakest of the group was scared of everything and unfortunately she was the first to dissapear as a meal for a predator.

The funny one would chase grasshoppers and would jump high to catch one. She was absurd and i wondered if the rest would see her as a funny character too.

The greedy one was always the first to eat. She wouldn’t allow other chickens to eat around her. She wanted all the pieces of bread at once and got stressed if it didn’t fit. Somehow she looked always angry and not content with herself.

Our man of the group was a model rouster. It looked like he walked straight out of a breakfast cereal commercial. He had his own language to tell the flock when it was time to eat, run, hide, take a bath or relax and sleep in the sun. Very brave he gave his own life to protect his chicks and got eaten by a fox.

Nature is tough. Birds and foxes ate our flock.

It got me thinking,why is nature so tough and beautyful at the same time? And as we humans are nature as well i can make the conclusion that life is tough. For all of us as a group and as individuals. Was this the reason i felt it was so hard to commit in Sweden? Was i missing and loosing my flock? Was life to hard on my own?

When i connected with the Universe i heared;

Stay strong. Because you are. Don’t think you have to shine, you are the light. You are gonna loose people because it is time to let go and move on. This is gonna happen anyway. In Sweden or in the Netherlands. The place you live doesn’t matter. Some people are in your life and meant to stay there forever. But most people come and go and leave you with lessons, answers and growth.

JUST BE and realise even though life is tough there are beautyful moments to capture.

And it doesn’t matter where you are in the world you can choose your flock.

These answers gave me such peace of mind. I know and feel that i don’t have to be afraid of loosing people and my Dutch flock. I can trust nature and the Universe. I can trust the light. Everything happens for a reason even if we don’t understand the why. So with this in mind and heart i can commit more to my life here in Sweden.

And when i asked the Universe where to find a flock in Sweden i got the answer; there is something called Global Woman Club Stockholm