Cold, Wet Blanket

Yesterday was cold. 
And quite long.
And wet. 
Tiring. 
I drove home with my wipers on full blast thinking how the day left me feeling like I was covered in a wet blanket. 
Cold.
Drained. 
Uninspired. 
Craving something dry and red.   
I was talking about my electric blanket, of course. 
Yep, I'm over 30, why do you ask?

I watched the 5:00 news and tried to give myself a pep talk about going out into the windy rain  to feed stock. 

I felt discouraged. 

I rarely feel that way. 

Where did this cold, wet blanket feeling come from? 

I tried to work through the recent worry on my mind. 

The ag industry seems to have had a wet blanket thrown over it in the last week. First, Subway makes the uneducated marketing stunt to veer consumers away from a child sex scandal and announces they will begin serving chicken raised without antibiotics. As well as source antibiotic-free turkey, pork and beef within a 10 year period. 

The entire announcement made the ag industry drop their five dollar footlongs and listen to the decision like a dog hearing a high pitched sound. Antibiotic free meat? We already have that regulation in the United States. If a producer sold protein with antibiotics in it, they'd lose their way of living.

Next came the non-scientific article from the WHO (cares?) claiming that bacon, hotdogs and other delicacies  may - possibly - might - cause cancer. Maybe. Not doing your homework before issuing a public statement is one thing, but throwing the "C" word around with those watered-down claims? That's just irresponsible. Do you know the fear attached to that word? The WHO does and they got the attention they didn't deserve. 
I celebrated their assumptions with a Nathan's that evening. YUM-O

But today let's talk about us, not an industry. 
Just a bit of discouragement - personally, professionally, emotionally, passionately - can quickly throw down the wet blanket. 
And it doesn't take much to land beneath it. 
Have you been there?
When you're simply wrong.
When you're completely too tired. 
When the meeting didn't go as you hoped.  
When you can't adequately express what is right. 
When someone doesn't know the truth you defend. 
When you're running out of resources,  at a loss for a better way. 
When you lose the encouragement to take better care of yourself.
When you're certain you deserve better, but you cannot find the backbone to declare it. 
Have you been there? 
Wet blanket and all? 
You are not alone. 
Stand up and and shake it off.

I bundled up and went out to feed. Only to find the spark I needed. The latest addition to our  farm was running circles around the herd. Through the rain. And wind. Covered - saturated - in a cold wet blanket of black hide. It didn't affect his spirit. And it need not affect mine. 

There will be dreary days of discouragement. 
There will be days of amazing light and grace. Hang on to those. 

Don't let that wet blanket distinguish your spark. 
Because it's fixin' to get cold and when those winter winds blow and Old Man Winter shows up at your door you're gonna need that spark. 
And some fuel oil. 
And a good chili recipe. 
Anything but a wet blanket.