But now, I listen.
Now might be a good time to check out Dear Ol' Dad to understand where I'm coming from.
He has his quirks.
He loves good food, good beer and good products that don't let him down.
So, in an effort to enrich the lives of his sons-in-law and son, after dinner Monday Dad gifted each of them a bar of his favorite soap. The soap that he's used for years because it lathers well with the washcloths he and Momma got for their wedding, 37 years ago next month.
You really should attend our Christmases.
But it wasn't the soap that got me thinking over the weekend.
Time ran short; it seemed we had just received our marching orders and before I knew it, folks were packing stock trailers, trucks and carseats. Dad reflected on all that he was able to get done having an extra pair of hands helping him.
"It's amazing how much more work you can get done when someone opens the gate." said Dad. "When you work alone you have to stop the truck or tractor in front of the gate. Climb down. Open the gate. Walk back to the truck or tractor. Drive it through the gate. Then stop the truck or tractor behind the gate. Climb down. Close the gate. Walk back to the truck or tractor. And finally get to work."
He was right and I was feeling a tick guilty. Every time CS calls me out of the house, the garden or the flower beds to simply "open a gate" I get a bit frustrated. If I'm working along side him it doesn't bother me. But to alter my work to do something as simple as opening a gate?
For the record, this is how I shut a gate.
And this is how CS shuts a gate.
He didn't grow up knowing the fear that
coincides with cattle raised around cornfields.
We prefer Homestead Gates
The thing about gates is that they can make or break productivity.
The thing about gates is that they control speed in which you move forward.
The thing about gates is that they become a passage to better places.
The thing about gates is that they wait - patiently and silently - to be used.
The thing about gates is that they are only as good as the folks who use them - dragged across gravel, climbed with dirty boots, hung as they should be or lifted up so they perform perfectly.
The thing about gates is that they are a newly discovered way to greener pastures (if not secured).
Opening gates - though such a small gesture - can really move a person forward.
So you.
Yes, you.
Reading this. Right Now.
What gates do you need to open?
What gates do you need to open for yourself - what is standing in your way?
What seems to be the most insignificant obstacle that needs to move before you can pass through to the next phase?
Or even more -
What gates do you need to open for someone else - what is standing in their way that you can help with?
That person in the back of your mind that needs your help, phone call, attention, understanding. Isn't it time that you opened their gate?
"It's amazing how much more work you can get done when someone opens the gate."
Something as simple as opening a gate.
And for goodness sake, latch it while you're there.
And don't forget to plug in the fence.
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