Musings of a Badlands Ranch Wife

Okay, it is true- I may be a bit of a control freak. If we are truly honest with ourselves, we all may have some form of this classic syndrome. Unfortunately, we tend to crave control over things that are completely out of our control. But isn’t that human nature? Do we crave this control as a form of personal vindication? As a means to create an understanding of that which we fail to fathom?  As a rancher’s wife and a rancher’s mom, I am a testimony to this need to control that which is uncontrollable.  I was not born into ranching, but I have had the privilege of watching and learning from a community of men and women who exemplify this profession. All ranchers must accept that which is beyond their scope of power- blizzards, drought, too much rain, forty-five mile an hour winds during fire season, alfalfa weevils and grasshoppers during haying season, sub-zero temperatures during calving, fluctuating cattle prices, rising cost of feed, the hefty cost of equipment, that crazy new first calf heifer that really does not want to claim its baby, and the list goes on. The question is why do they continue? Anyone who has been around a rancher understands the power of eternal optimism, true faith and the promise of what next year will bring. They understand what all of us may still be learning- that the only thing we can control is how we respond rather than the situation itself. They cannot control the path of a blizzard, but ranchers will ensure their cows and horses are located in an area with the greatest protection. They cannot stop the wind during a drought, but they can have the portable water tanks full and on the back of a pickup ready to help a neighbor in need. Ranchers cannot tell a heifer all the reasons why she needs to be nicer to her baby, but they can have the warm pen ready and a calf bottle in hand to help that baby survive. So, let’s take a lesson from our local ranchers. Stop trying to control that which is not ours to control; rather, let us start controlling our response. I know that this is something I need to work on every day. How liberating it must be to just let go! Try it with me….