Does life ever get so intense that you feel like your head is barely above water?
I figured. I am the only one. So let me tell you what it’s like, so you don’t have to experience it for yourself: Stressful.
Since we as ranch families never experience stress, I suppose there isn’t much to talk about, right? Well …
A couple of weeks ago, we A.I.’ed our herd. Last year was our first year A.I.’ing, and we were on a new place – and let’s just say it wasn’t as smooth as we had hoped.
So this year, as the time started to get close, I got a little anxious. Nothing terrible – I just didn’t sleep much. My husband and the team worked so hard to make things flow. They rebuilt the corrals, tore down bad fences, put them in favorable places and spent the whole year continuing the low-stress cattle handling practices that we started when we arrived. And guess what? I didn’t need to be stressed.
The cows were calmer. So were we.
This year, we still had some excited cattle. It happens, especially when they are receiving hormone shots. However, nothing was over the top.
Perhaps a lovely benefit to A.I.’ing this year was that we inherited some new friends who enjoyed watching the process. These new friends were unfamiliar with cattle ranching and asked the best questions. They seemed embarrassed because they said they were basic questions, but to us, it was encouraging. There’s nothing wrong with remembering the basics, and it’s always important to keep the big “why” of what we are doing at the forefront.
Since these friends were new to cattle, they saw everything with eyes of wonder. How refreshing! That isn’t to say we don’t see our lives with eyes of wonder; rather, when someone sees something for the first time, it’s like you get to experience those feelings of joy all over again.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes when we have 15-hour days and are covered in dirt and more, we are too tired to say, “Wow, what a beautiful thing to be a part of.” We are simply doing the work, focused on being calm and getting done what needs to be done. And sometimes, because we are tired, things that are actually good seem a little less than that.
Have you ever watched children ride a horse for the first time? Or eat ice cream for the first time? Their eyes light up and joy radiates across their faces.
When these friends saw ranching for the first time, their faces were much like that. They were amazed at how the cattle walked through the alley, made their way through the squeeze chute and walked over to their “friends.”
Suddenly, the manure didn’t seem so stinky. The day didn’t feel long. We were able to share our lives, do what we really care about, while seeing someone else recognize the importance not only of the work, but how the work was done. We were able to share why we do what we do, how we want the best for the cattle and how the process of agriculture works.
Here’s my full disclosure: I’m not a huge fan of A.I. If it’s your favorite thing in the world, then forgive my honesty. I see the benefits: better genetics, timed cycles, streamlined calving, etc. However, I’m more of a natural girl. I love letting cows be cows and having the process occur naturally. It’s less work. You don’t have to give hormones – and I would rather not mess with the natural cycle. This is my personal bend.
But this year, I saw a new side of things. The process that I might have declared bad and ugly became good. I was able to see it with fresh eyes.
Fresh eyes can come in handy.
How many times do we get overwhelmed when there is a week of intense weather, cattle getting out or equipment breaking down, and we think, “Why am I doing this?”
Okay, you may never have done that, but let’s pretend it happens. The reality is, no matter what our line of work, what our days look like or who we work with, there will always be long days. There will be the bad and ugly. It’s up to us to find the good or see things with fresh eyes. If you find yourself struggling to see things new, see if you can take a break (I know, some of you are laughing right now) or invite some friends over that have never been around cows. You never know what questions will pique your joy or renew your strength … and, possibly, help things feel less stressful.
