Some days I swear my favorite hen is made of equal parts rainwater and rage! She paces the run, feathers plastered down, muttering complaints at the sky like it personally scheduled the storm just to spite her.
The wet hen moment
If you’ve ever seen a truly wet hen, you know the vibe: flustered, feisty, and somehow still marching around like she has Very Important Business to do! She shakes herself off, glares at the puddles, then dives right back into scratching, clucking, and policing everyone else’s space.
Watching her one morning, it hit me that this is exactly how I move through a lot of my own “busy” seasons. Drenched in obligations, irritated at everything, still forcing myself to keep scratching at an endless to‑do list because resting feels like failure.
What my wet hen taught me about burnout
Here’s what that soggy little chaos goblin has been teaching me lately!
Just because you can keep going doesn’t mean the conditions are healthy. A perpetually wet, muddy chicken area is a breeding ground for disease and stress, no matter how tough the bird.
Burnout doesn’t show up as “I’m done.” It shows up as snapping at people you love, forgetting simple things, or needing three coffees just to feel normal.
Overcommitting in the garden looks like it does in life: too many beds, too many projects, too many “shoulds” and not enough margin for weather, setbacks, or just plain exhaustion.
My wet hen will stay out in miserable conditions far longer than she needs to, simply because the run is “where the work is.”. That’s me, standing ankle‑deep in mental mud, telling myself I’ll rest after the next thing… and the next… and the next.
So keep going my feathery friends! Just don’t forget to take some time to clean the mud off your talons!
Yard 2 Yield! 