Life and the Cattle Market- One in the Same

Driving on an open stretch of highway, without a soul in sight, will make a mind wander. My wandering mind played through the recent highlight reel, making me feel sorry for myself. It seems like all I do lately is catch hell.

Bills seem to pour in while paychecks only trickle. The bank sends their statements with their numbers painted in red. My car starts to rumble and that only reminds me that I can’t put a trip to the mechanics off any longer. A pang looms in my stomach- fear, doubt, anxiety, uncertainty, stress.

As each mile marker passes, my pity starts to rise. I’ve, again, left the ones I love most 1600 miles behind, just trying to chase my dreams. But, the harder I push towards them, the harder they push back at me. Could this be the lowest my luck will run? Is there an upturn for my future at all? Another mile marker down accompanied by a somber man in coveralls, checking the hay in his cattle pastures. That’s when it dawned on me; the struggles in life and those in the cattle market are one in the same.

The cattle market is a gamble and there is no way to hedge your bets. No matter how good the prices are, cows will still come up open. No matter how good the feed is, an unexpected blizzard can come in and wipe you clean. A thin cattleman is probably one that paces the floorboards, worried about what card Mother Nature, or the stock market, will deal. A cattleman’s entire livelihood- their family, home, life savings, and well-being is placed on the line on not much more than an educated guess.

You don’t have to be a cattleman to know how this feels. How many times did it feel like navigating your life was a lot like driving into dense fog, unsure of the direction you needed to go? Perhaps the scariest thing in life is the fact that there is no way of knowing what tomorrow may bring. There is no way of knowing if the choices we make are going to help us reach our destination or send us on a detour or a path completely its own. We are all just sort of winging it, doing no better than an educated guess.

In life, we can find ourselves drowning in bills and debt that keeps collecting. We can immerse ourselves in troubles of a stalled career, a hectic work schedule, or bosses/coworkers you do not see eye to eye with. Health concerns loom. Relationships may strain when partners pull away, or from all the other stress weighted on its shoulders.

A bad year of rain can leave little feed on the ground and hay prices on the brink of outrageous. But still, the cattle have to eat abd the cattleman has to find a way to buy the feed. When the cattle market takes a nose dive, it is possible to lose more money on each calf that goes through the ring. But still, the cattleman needs income to support the ranch and put food on the table for the family. There is no greater strain to a relationship than times like these, when the chips are stacked against you.

But nothing lasts forever, not even our troubles. The rain will come, the market will shift. Relationships can be fixed and our health can be improved. We have the power to steer our careers or switch our path.

Happiness is a choice and it is our responsibility to live a life that is fulfilling. There is no such thing as a good life or a bad life. It's just life. We decide how it will be. To make life great, we must choose to stay positive and uplift ourselves. While it may be cliche, count your blessings!

We curse our bills, but at least we are able to have a home, heat when it's cold, AC when it's hot, and light when it's dark. The car may be rumbling but thank God there is transportation to travel to work, to town, or on adventures. My loved ones may be three states away, but how lucky am I to have people that make saying goodbye so difficult?

One thing proves to be true- we will never know what will happen in the future. Tomorrow, we can wake up and find that cattle prices have tanked, corn and hay have skyrocketed. Jobs can change. Relationships change. Life will change. Yes, the future is uncertain. There will be highs and lows, peaks and valleys. The important part is to enjoy, stay positive, and live happily.