It’s the rooster singing the morning tune, the smell of coffee waiting for you, and watching the sunrise on the back of your horse. There is just something special about this western way of life we get to live day in and day out. Not many can say they wake up before the sun rises, feed the animals before they feed themselves, or see the morning dew gleam off the grass after a much-needed rain.
Photo Courtesy of 2 Diamond Photography
It’s saddling the horses to work cattle, bringing your kids along to teach them the ropes of this lifestyle, and settling in after a long day’s work to do it all over again tomorrow. You don’t get to work eight hours and call it quits. You work until the job is done whether that happens to be in time for supper or well into the night after helping a cow give birth to her first calf.
Photo Courtesy of 2 Diamond Photography
It’s the quiet before the storm where the birds chirp a peaceful tune and the ground is waiting to shake with pounding hooves. Before the cowboys are hollering and the stock is bellering. It’s the day everyone has been waiting for, branding day. The little cowboys and cowgirls sitting in their daddy’s lap learning to hold the legs of a calf while it gets branded.
Photo Courtesy of 2 Diamond Photography
Some people might not understand the beauty of the western lifestyle, but there is still the rare breed that have an appreciation for the dust billowing, stock running, and some days the smell of burnt hide. It’s for the gratitude we share for the land, we raise our crops and graze our cattle. For the appreciation of the early mornings and long nights, the long days in the saddle, and the calmness that sweeps over you when checking cattle.
Photo Courtesy of 2 Diamond Photography
We may experience more hardships than ordinary life, but those hardships make us who we are. Determined, hardworking, driven, caring, and honest people who would give a helping hand whenever needed. We may face adversity just like anyone else in this world, but what might make us different is how we handle that adversity. We use it as ammo to better the situation and not let it overtake us. If we succumb to all the hard times this lifestyle throws at us, we wouldn’t be around long enough to see all the rewards and happiness that it brings overall.
Fighting to be better and to keep a positive outlook is how we thrive. It was bred into us. It’s just our western way of life.
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