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Choosing your running mate

After weeks of preparation and my husband’s version of “Beef Cattle 101 for 9th graders,” the 2 young men Jim has been teaching were back on the show circuit last week. Well, it’s not exactly “the” show circuit, but Kyle and Jeremy exhibited at their second local cattle show of the season.
Although there were no grand champions this time, both boys did well, taking first, second or third place in each Simmental class they entered.

I took a few days off of work, so I could spend some time catching up on summer projects at home, as well as attend the Prairie Home fair on cattle show day. Not having children of our own, it is such a thrill to have Kyle and Jeremy spend time with us. Typical of 14-year-old boys, there is some poking and punching and teasing, but overall, Kyle and Jeremy are the best of friends.

Late Wednesday afternoon after picking another washtub full of green beans from the garden, I walked out to the show barn to find 2 sleepy-eyed boys. Jim needed to check on something in the other barn, so I suggested nap time. They laughed at me, but I insisted, pointing to a couch in the barn office and one in the alleyway of the barn. I knew there were stalls to make and trailers they would need to load that evening. They would be up early the next morning to load cattle and head to the fair for show day. They needed rest.

An hour or so later, I slipped into the barn office where I found an empty couch. The couch in the alleyway was empty as well, except for a big black and white tuxedo cat named Tennessee. Puzzled, I looked to the east side of the show barn where the cattle were tied. Lying on the bark-covered floor were, in this order: Jeremy, a heifer, another heifer, Kyle, a steer, and another steer. All sound asleep with fans blowing on them. Jeremy’s head was leaned up against the first heifer. The second heifer’s head was on top of Kyle. I’m not sure who was enjoying the rest more, boys or cattle. I’m not sure who needed the rest more, but all were full of spit and vinegar when they awakened. Kyle said he didn’t really need the sleep, “but it seemed like the thing to do.”

Those boys worked hard well into the evening at our place and then at Kyle’s, where they put wheels on the new showbox that Kyle and his stepdad had built. After sacrificing my dishsoap from the kitchen the next morning (we use dishsoap to wash cattle and had used up what was in the barn), I waved goodbye as boys, cattle, trailers, trucks, showboxes, hay, and all of the other necessary show day “stuff” headed down our long lane to Prairie Home, just 4 miles away. I was coming later with a picnic basket full of my homemade salads, deviled eggs, fried chicken, chocolate chip cookies, and iced tea.

Kyle’s mom and stepdad stood beside me as we watched the boys lead their heifers out for the first class they had entered. We were so proud! Jim, of course, was there as well, but he was not standing still! He wanted to be sure he was within view of both boys, so they could look to him for advice on setting up the cattle. They all worked together as a team that day, from the time they rolled out in the morning, until the last showstick was hanging in it’s place at home that night.

Watching Kyle and Jeremy together reminds me of something my husband said recently about the importance of choosing your running mate. We watched and listened as the Democratic presidential candidate sorted through the pool of potential vp’s and decided on the young southern lawyer. Jim believes that choosing your running mate, whether that is a spouse, a best friend, a business partner, or a vice presidential candidate, not only says a great deal about what you are made of, it can also set the stage for failure or success down the road.

Most of us have, and have had, several “running mates” in our lives. Of course there is my husband, Jim, and the team of farm broadcasters that work for me at Brownfield Network. There are the 5 or 6 women friends that I met in the professional world, but who became a part of my personal world as well. There are our dear friends from church, from our time spent in the Springfield/Athens area, and there are the handful of high school and college friends with whom I spend far too little time. We have a lot of friends, but as far as actual running mates, there are not that many at any given moment in a lifetime.

Who we are – what we are – is often reflected in who we “run with.” Choose your running mate wisely, but remember, who they are – what they are – is reflected in who they run with as well.

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