Frozen Folly

Living on a farm is so beautiful in the winter with the white landscape stretching to infinity. The scene didn’t seem quite as picturesque this morning, though, when my routine check of the cattle’s automatic waterer revealed it was empty (and thus frozen somewhere). Typically, this daily review takes just a few seconds and I briefly thought of skipping it this morning until I saw two of our cows lingering by the waterer and I knew something was amiss.

So, I went over to verify the thing was frozen (which it was) and then plodded to the house for a bucket of hot water to thaw the icy obstruction. When my hot water technique failed to remedy the problem, I called our hired hand to see if he could come out and investigate. He suggested leaving a bucket of water out for the cows and assured me I could go to work and he’d call me later with an update.

While running buckets of water to the cows (there were many as the black one was quite thirsty), I heard the water flowing into the automatic tank after the tan cow had drained the warm water. I called our hired man back to let him know the problem had been fixed. Driving into work, I felt good I’d been able to handle things alone in spite of the frosty 14° temperature. I hadn’t even minded when the cows began sticking their noses into my backside trying to find out what I was doing. I just had to check my butt for cow slime before going into the office.

Obstacles are presented, undoubtedly, to test us and provide opportunities to grow even though at the time, frustration can impede our ability to see the lesson. Embracing complications makes the simple things like the first season’s snowfall or a working automatic waterer feel blessed. Open your eyes and find the blessings all around you like piles of laundry and dirty dishes because it means you have many loved ones to share your life! Don a smile and hum a song while doing those dishes and take breaks to hug your family or just sit in the same room and enjoy their company. It’s the little moments in life that take our breath away so, make sure you’re watching for them!