It was Friday night of Thanksgiving week. I had returned to the farm late that night to check on animals, cheese and when I walked out of the farmhouse, closed the lights and locked the door, I marveled at the clean crisp air and the sky filled with stars.
Drinking in the wonder of the evening sky, I was thinking back on two days of family, friends and food, having my children at home, reflecting on the successful 2008 farm season, how it was coming to an end and I was filled with a quiet contentment.
Upon returning home, it seemed that a cup of tea was a fitting way to savor the moment and hold on to those reflections a little longer. It would turn out to be a tragic mistake. I upended that simple cup of tea into my lap and managed to inflict second degree burns on both legs as well as my tummy. A trip to the local ER was necessary and where despite great treatment, I was in severe pain until the early hours of the morning. It would be a full ten days later before I was functioning at almost full throttle with minimal pain with some assurance that a skin graft wouldn’t be necessary.
How quickly that contentment vaporized, replaced by pain! But it didn’t take long either to restore my balance and replace the self-pity with thankfulness, knowing that the injury was just that and not life threatening. It was perhaps more shocking to realize how stressed my body was and how it would be taxed by the task of healing, zapping my strength from the simplest tasks of each day, forcing me to slow down, settling for accomplishing but a few items daily.
We all have setbacks. It’s the question of what we choose to do about them. Sometimes they’re a matter of health, sometimes a business or personal challenge—a failed exam or a rejected business deal, a burn or serious illness. How large or small is all relative—to our age, experience base, and attitude.
And if we’ve ‘been there, done that’, it rarely helps the next guy as we each have to endure the situation and deal with it for ourselves. How many times are we given advice—albeit well-intended by others—heard countless personal tales of how others made it through similar circumstances? Too often those pearls fall on deaf ears as the current victims just have to travel the path for themselves.
In its own way, the farm presents a continuous set of challenges—animal health (some life threatening), livestock decisions, crop failures, staffing, relentless hours, financial pressures. There are moments when I question the wisdom of moving forward. But then I reflect on a quote my son sent to me recently from Winston Churchill. I have posted that quote along with one from Helen Keller as two reminders of inspiration and attitude.
“Success is not final; Failure is not fatal. It is the strength to go on that really counts.”
– WC
“When one door closes, another door opens.” – HK
I hope I’m smart enough to follow those words, whether the challenge is large or small. For now, I think I’ll just have a second cup of tea.
Comments