Anyone that has ever been around bulls knows that one of the biggest challenges is to keep them confined to the pasture they belong. It doesn’t matter how many cows they have to keep them company, the neighbor’s cows over the fence throw a better party. They’ve whipped every other bull in their own pasture and decided they needed to join a fight club with the bull across the fence and tear up the fence in the process. Ultimately, they make the mistake of failing to stay home one too many times and they end up on a value menu at your local fast-food joint. As ranchers, we spend a lot of time and money selecting the best genetics that will improve our herd. We give a lot of grace to these oversized hormone driven four-legged beasts because we paid a lot of money for their services. Eventually patience for stupidity runs out though. One too many trips to the neighbor, too many posts that had to be reset because he tore the fence down and bulls that look over the wire learn that there are consequences for their behavior.
It’s funny how we can learn so many things from the animals that we take care of. We are all guilty of looking over the fence from time to time. We compare the things we have to the latest and greatest gadgets on the market. We need the latest model of phone, newest car, a bigger house or something else that we think we can’t live without. Too many times we confuse our wants with our needs. Looking over the fence only leads to trouble. Believing that the things we have aren’t good enough often get us into trouble financially. Debt is a bottomless pit that can suck you in deeper and deeper if you let it. I understand that life is unpredictable and certain things cannot be avoided. However, if you think that material things are what will make you happy, you’re no better than the bull on the dollar menu. It is far past time that we learned to live within our means as a society. Even our own government can’t seem to figure this out. I can’t help but think at some point in time there will be more debt than money to pay it off in this world.
Looking over the fence sure causes a lot of problems. If we spent half the time focusing on our own situations rather than the situation of those around us, we might come to appreciate what we had a little more. A roof over our heads to keep the rain out, kitchens and pantries that are filled with groceries. Families that love us and support us through all of the difficult times and the fact that we live in a country that despite it’s flaws is still better than anywhere else are all things that we take for granted. Material things fade away. They rust, mold, depreciate with time and generally lose their appeal to us over time. Family, friends, good health and a generous spirit are the things that will last through the tests of time.
I don’t want to end up on the metaphorical value menu because I’m paying the price for looking over the fence instead of on my side of the wire. Hopefully many of you feel the same way. Lets keep tabs on our side of the barbed wire and remember to be thankful for what we’ve been blessed with. God Bless.