As the Fall semester is coming to an end … so also our Forestry class is coming to a conclusion. Hubby and I have very much enjoyed our Forestry class!
When we and our classmates first started our Forestry class back in September, each of us naturally assumed our forestry professor would tell us what we needed to do to care for our forest.
But we realized right away that there is no one “correct” answer. From the very first class, and all throughout the course, our forestry professor has continually reinforced over and over: It depends … on what your objectives are.
Each of the participants in our class have uniquely specific land. None of our land is the same. Some of our classmates have 20+ acres, mostly on steep hillside, backing up to State Park property. They have owned their forest land for 50 years or more. Others in our class are brand new forest landowners, having only purchased their property this past Spring. Their property is mostly boggy/swampy terrain … completely overrun with invasive holly and blackberry.
The care and management which hubby and I need to do for our ravine will be completely different from what our classmates, who own the 20+ hillside acreage, will need to do to care for their forest property … which will be completely different from what our other classmates, who own the 10 acres of boggy swamp, will need to do to care for their land.
It depends.
On what our objectives are.
The way we each care for our land depends on what our objectives are.
And our objectives are not all the same.
Our classmates with the 20+ acres would like to harvest some of their timber for income. Our classmates who own the boggy swamp have been involved in volunteer efforts at a nature preserve for the last 4 years. Their objectives are to develop their property in the same way that the nature preserve is being cared for. Hubby’s and my objectives are to have our forest be a place of natural beauty, a refuge of peace from the mad rush of our crazy world, and to be a place of safety for wildlife.
The way you manage and care for your forest depends on what your objectives are.
This has been a huge takeaway lesson for me, from our class.
Because this principle doesn’t just apply to how to manage and care for a forest. This principle applies to life itself. What you do with your life depends on what your objectives are.
There is no one “correct” way to live your life.
Just like each of our classmates in our Forestry class have completely different forest property, so also each person has a completely different and unique life. We each have different backgrounds … different personalities … different interests … different skills and abilities … different natural talents.
We are different.
What we enjoy is different. What we are hoping for in life is different.
Therefore, the way we live and manage our life will depend on what our objectives are.
What are your objectives for life? What are your dreams? What are your hopes? What are your goals? These will determine how you should be living each day.
These will determine what decisions you should be making along the way. Your objectives will determine how you live your life.
If you have never before pondered what your objectives are, take some time right now to think about it. What would you like to accomplish with your life? Write it down. Make a plan for how to get there.
It will probably take years to get there (just like hubby’s & my Forest Plan). It takes years to implement a Forest plan. Forests grow slow. In the same way, it takes years to implement a life plan.
But with a plan you can know what you should be doing. With a plan you can know which are the correct decisions for you … for your life.
With a plan you can know if course corrections need to be made in your life. With a plan you can know, even through the tough times, that you’re on track doing exactly what you should be doing.
If you ever find yourself asking the question: What should I be doing with my life??
It depends … on what your objectives are.
