Tuesday, August 5, 2014

You Don't have to always get Mad

Needs on the Farm


In this troubled time it is so easy to get mad or scared.
 Yesterday I met with one of my neighbors and during the 10 minutes of interaction he was rude condescending just basically obnoxious. I was with my grandson and had many choices. One of them would have been to basically tell him where to go and how to get there fast.
 I wasn't prepared for the meeting but I did have an agenda. We are moving and I needed his tractor and bush hog for about two hours. I offered not to borrow (That was the norm with his father who I respect and adore (He has passed away)) but offer fence post from my sawmill. He decided that he did not need post but some Poplar lumber for the barn would be good.
 He was totally obnoxious even as I delivered him to his own vehicle. I did agree and this morning I will do some bush hogging.
 The point of this article is that it isn't what you have but how you deal with what you have when it is in your lap. This man has his own problems and does not need me to add to them. By not acerbating the situation if he is in a place where he can modify his life maybe he will use a little calmness I gave him and build on the homestead. Now before your nominate me for sainthood understand that I am one of those who will spit in your eye and dare you to jump when I am ready to rumble. (That is not good on my part).
 Now that I have built a watch I can tell you the time. You have many tools on your homestead and in this time it is needed to have them ready useful and to know where they are. Your neighbors could be the most important tool in your box. You are going to have to decide. With this person I honestly feel that this will be the last interaction and will close a book that is twenty years old. If it does close I know for myself that for all the bad choices I have made I gave him a chance to change the interaction. I am not a punching bag but also I am trying not to be a sponge. I urge you to do the same.
 On your farm you have one thing that unless you are a superhero you kick yourself daily. That is not knowing where that something that you need is. I am that way and after the years I consider it Christmas when I find a long lost now duplicate of something. What I want you to think about that in this time what are you needing but not missing.
 I know that is a different way of thinking but there are a lot of little things I do not have because I haven’t needed them yet so why have them. In many cases with shelf life’s and all I agree, but in the case of the basics that is another case in all.

 What you basics are, are simply up to you and no one else. For some it may be extra sparkplugs for equipment. For others it may be nuts bolts and drills for mending. For you it may be sewing thread. What I am getting at, is in the confrontation that I had it also would have been very easy for obnoxious neighbor to fly off the handle and escalate me into telling him where to travel fast. Whether he liked it or not he did have a need that did mollify his own lack of servility and both of us can prosper.  

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