We are smack dab in the middle of harvest. Actually, we have
hit the pause button on harvest because the corn we have left to pick is too
green and the beans are not ready yet. There is nothing like gearing up for
harvest, getting into the groove and then shutting down. It is especially
aggravating when the weather is nice and bad weather is predicted in the near
future. However, this again goes back to something Dad tells me over and over.
There is nothing you can do about the weather (despite what Sir Paul McCartney
and Al Gore think), so why worry about it.
I truly enjoy harvest (when everything goes right
mechanically) for many reasons, it means the culmination of the crop year, it
is exciting, and I have plenty of time to mull over the really tough questions
of life. Yes, next time you see me driving down the road in one of our trucks
just know that I am doing more than driving, I am solving all of the world’s
problems. That ought to make you feel safer on the road.
Questions like: when God flooded the world and had Noah save
pairs of animals on the Ark why did he save mosquitoes, fleas and ticks? Did he
knowingly save them or were they castaways on the Ark. If so why didn’t Noah or
one of his family members swat just one of them? Maybe they serve some sort of
purpose, but for the life of me I cannot think of what that might be. Another
on my long list of questions I am going to ask when I get to heaven.
How does the extra value meal I bought this year go up
significantly in price while the corn I am hauling is only worth about half as
much as it was last year? It just doesn’t seem right. Oh I know beef prices are
still sky high and trending higher. I just made the mistake of figuring out
that this year’s quarter pounder extra value meal for Dad and I cost about three
to four dollars more and the load of grain is worth about……. oh never mind it
is too depressing. Don’t get me wrong, I am counting my blessings that we have
grain to haul in, no matter how cheap it is.
Our trucks only go so fast, especially loaded. It is amazing
how much more you notice and appreciate things you see along the road when
hauling grain to town. I wonder how much more we would enjoy life and how much
happier we would be if we just took life a little slower. What if we slowed
down driving from here to there, what if we took our time walking from place to
place, I bet we would have a deeper appreciation for all that is around us. On
a side note, each of you who have had to slow down and follow me into town, I
was just doing you a favor and helping you get more out of life.
Why can’t we call a time out in real life? When things are
coming at you too fast or when nothing seems to be going right, wouldn’t it be
nice to call a time out to settle down and think things out. On a related note why
do small children fight nap time? I would give anything for someone to order me
to put down my carpet square and take a nap each afternoon. Youth truly is
wasted on the young.
Finally, why do we waste so much time worrying about how
other people do their jobs and so little time worrying about our own? Don’t
believe me; listen to any number of sports or political call in shows. Everyone
has an idea of how things ought to be done and most of the callers are making
those calls from their job. Often I think I am very fortunate to only have one
of the three trucks with a working radio (the lone exception being Saturdays
when K-State is playing). We need to do our job, enjoy sports as entertainment
and practice our right to vote.
Those are just a few of the very random thoughts that go
through my little beanie brain during harvest. I rather enjoy the quiet time to
contemplate the problems around me and reflect upon the answers. Well, I do
that in between driving defensively, watching the gauges, listening for funny
noises and watching the road. So pardon me if I forget to wave, there is a lot
going on in the cab of that truck.
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