Life on a Ranch

 The holidays and coinciding festivities are over, and we are back to our regularly scheduled activities. The kids are back in school, league basketball is in full swing, work is keeping me busy and the animals, well, they always get fed regardless. So far, winter in the valley has been mild, but the mountains are getting plenty of snow. I can say that with confidence because I’m currently sitting in the lodge at Anthony Lakes, taking a break from the snow-packed-slopes to write this. I can’t really think of a time in my life when I gave myself permission to take an extended break in the lodge rather than staying out skiing, getting in as many runs as possible…. until now. If you wouldn’t mind keeping this between us, I actually don’t mind taking this break. I have my boots off with a cup of coffee and a snack. And after thoroughly enjoying nearly first tracks on freshly groomed corduroy this morning, I don’t think this is horrible. A sure sign that I’m getting older! I’m not the only one getting older, being up here reminds me of a few of the great things about having older kids. For example, Cooper is the only one of our kids who joined us today (or maybe we joined him, I’m not sure). He can pack his own gear, independently put on all that gear, and is a self-sufficient skier. In fact, he is off skiing with his buddy, Trenten, as I type. The other great thing is that his older sisters (who chose not to come today), are self-sufficiently feeding cows and taking care of chores at home. That might not be quite as easy in a few weeks when we’re calving, but with just a couple early calves (who are doing really well), it’s definitely not a problem right now. As it turns out, Agri-Times made its way up to Anthony Lakes today, not only by way of me writing this column, but through an actual copy of the paper. In an ironic twist of fate, a man named Bob was sitting near the fire, reading a previous edition of the newspaper right next to me… all while I am busy writing-away on this one. He started making conversation and with Agri-Times in his hands, I had no choice but to tell him what I’m currently working on. We had a fun little visit and agreed that it’s a small world. While not everyone up here is reading a copy of Agri Times, it's not unheard of to find people reading in the lodge here at Anthony. Without cell or internet service (except in a few small spots near the top of the mountain), the cell phone culture isn’t alive and well. It’s pretty refreshing to see people read and visit with one another without the distraction of cell phones. (I say that, fully recognizing that I’m currently on a laptop typing away, but surely writing is an exception!) It has made me consider something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I’m worried something might be going missing from our culture… boredom. It’s not the kind of boredom that comes from a lack of things to do; it’s the kind of mental boredom that comes from not having technological distractions. An easy internet search is all it takes to give us a quick answer to any question. And even more than that, we have an easy scrolling-escape from our very own thoughts. If I think back and consider the time I’ve spent on a ski hill or out of cell range on the back of a horse, all without the world wide web at my finger tips, I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. There are a lot of heavy things in our world and there is so much information constantly at our disposal. For me, sometimes the very best thing to do with all the information overload is to find a physical outlet where my thoughts can settle. And while the physical activity gives me a boost of feel-good endorphins, my mind can quiet down. I’m sure there are scientific theories to back this up, but based on my own experience, I think when our minds are a little bit bored, we’re more equipped to just gather the information in our present situation and nothing more. Most of the time, I think it’s enough for us to simply take in our surroundings as well as the people (and often animals) we're currently with. When I was running a lot in college, I didn’t have a cell phone or any other device that played music to accompany me on my runs. When I’d start my run, I would have all kinds of things on my mind. I’d have to talk myself into “settling in” and finding a rhythm. And before I knew it, I was just running and breathing to the rhythm of my steps. And my mind, full of nursing-school stress, would get quiet and take a break from all the thinking. When I ride a horse and start loping circles, sometimes it takes a minute to find our pace and our rhythm. Sometimes I’m thinking about other things, and I’m distracted. But as I talk myself into settling in, my horse typically follows suit. And pretty soon… I’m thinking about the next step or the next lead change or how I can tip my horse’s nose a little more or how I might help hollow out their rib cage or get a hind leg to pull up underneath them. And that is enough to think about. Now a new week is starting and there will be plenty of distractions- technological and otherwise. But as I settle into the week and find the rhythm of our days, I hope I’m not so distracted that my mind can’t be quiet enough to notice the present... a present that currently includes cows and horses to take care of, people to love, and lots of work to do out here in Union County. ~Chelsea