In Their Shoes

Before I go any further I want to let it be known that this content is MY opinion..you go ahead and have yours. 
That being said, I am not under any false impression that this post will be popular.

Kinda like when people complain about the news paper only printing "the bad stuff" when in all reality NO ONE would buy a "good news" newspaper.
Misery loves company.

Now that I have run everyone off I wanna tell you about yesterday....

The scene: 20 degrees colder than the day before, rainy, windy, yucky.

I feel like I got nothing accomplished..well nothing "cow" accomplished.
The washer AND dryer ANNNNND well stopped working.  All in the same day.
How do you like them apples?

The washer and dryer are used to clean the towels we use to wipe the cows' udder with before we milk.  (You might have already known that though.)

So that could wait, but the lack of water pressure couldn't.
Something about clean milk lines, food safety and all....

As it turned out the well had a bare wire down in the center of the earth and was causing an arc.
I have no idea what all of this means but that is what I was told.
Electricity scares me..have I ever mentioned that?

You get shocked enough times by an electric fence when you're a child and you become a little leery.
(IKnowWhatYou'reThinking....)

I just don't know enough about electricity..but one day I will.

Anyway, around 2pm the "well guys" came and fixed it. Awesome!

In the meantime I had to go to Lowes and buy a new washer and dryer....NOT awesome.
I despise to the 118th degree ANY home improvement store...I just can't help it.

I'd rather go to the Co-op.

The kid(he was obv. younger than me) helping me, brought the appliances out to help load and wrap them in plastic, he then proceeded to tell me how cold it was outside and how much the rain "sucks".

That is a very important point.  That scene is the reason for this post.

Did I mention that when I walked into Lowes it was so warm...like in front of the fireplace warm?
Or that I was soaking wet in a t-shirt, thermal shirt, hoodie and fleece plus I had on wet, blood-splattered jeans(from IV-ing a cow) and manure covered boots?
My eyes told him I had been up AND working since 4:45 and I.Was.Starving.

I very calmly looked at him, smiled and said, "Yeah, it must suck working in there".

Then I left and prayed for both of us. (For real...we needed it.)

You know, I could have walked into the store and complained to everyone about the weather..BUT I didn't because I made the choice to do this job...and no one would care...and they might call the police.

I am OUTside every day, but I don't think I am better than ANYone else because of it.
For every ONE person out there who has it better than me, FIVE have it worse.

I don't call my DrSister and tell her how much I hate getting called at 4 am..she gets those calls ALL the time.

I recently learned through a new friend(!) that having an occasional headache is NOTHING compared to living with one EVERY day of your life.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't get paid near enough for the time/effort/care that I put into doing this job, BUT lots of people don't get paid at all.
Besides, I take this as my calling...I care about them.

Not to mention if I got paid more then something farm-related could suffer because we needed the money there.

A few years ago I decided to make a conscious effort to not complain about the things I can't change, like the weather.  Psssyeah I'll tell you I'm cold! But I try and fix that.
Unless it's like that day last winter when it was 18 degrees and the power was out at the barn.  There was NO PLACE to go to be warm..all we could do was sit and wait.

I wanted to cry.

Happiness was in Florida that day.

If I wanted to complain I would complain about how the rain comes through the holes in the roof of the barn, pools in the freestalls and causes my cows to get watery-mastitis...which makes them so sick they could die.
Or I could complain about how much a new roof would cost because it's past the point of "patching".
Or I could complain about how when it's cold outside my hands turn white and lose circulation...and I can't fix that.

But I won't because I can't do anything about those things.
To me, life is about the choices we make with the cards we're dealt.

Generally speaking I can just smile and go on, when I hear someone complain...and I do not voice my opinion very often, especially about things I don't know. 

I try to put myself in "their shoes"...even if they do have Hello Kitty duct tape in them....

Now, let's go check on that baby I saw stumbling around in the dark;).