Cows and Two-by-Fours

Let me paint the scene for you. It's the late 1960's; my Grandpa is standing over a dead cow that he accidentally killed with a two-by-four. My Dad and some of his brothers are sitting on a trailer pulled by my grandfather's tractor. Everyone in this scene is stunned.

Let's rewind this scene to two minutes earlier.

They were doing some work in the field and returning home when a cow blocked the fence gate. Initially, Grandpa hoped the cow would move out of the way when it saw the tractor approach, but that didn't happen. He then hollered at it, and the animal continued to go about its business of eating grass. Finally, my grandfather walked over to the trailer, grabbed a two-by-four, and tossed it towards the cow. The cow continued in its defiance. The two-by-four hit the unmoved cow in the head. The cow probably said something like "moo," and then it fell over dead—a million to one shot. I have a great imagination, and picturing this even now makes me laugh because no one would ever expect this result.

"You laugh now!" says my Dad telling the story, but at the moment, my Grandpa was understandably furious. First, one of his cattle just died from an unlikely hit to the head. Secondly, he still had the issue of a blocked gate, and because there was no way he could let the animal go to waste, he had to dress it immediately and change his plans for the rest of the day. Farmers are hardworking and are typically working with situations out of their control. If it were me, I might have driven over the cow, head home, and call it a day. That's why I'm not a farmer.

How did he deal with it? I'm not sure, but I imagine him walking around the cow for minutes. Then, I see him taking in a deep breath. Finally, he gets my Dad and his brothers to run back to the house and grab his tools to dress the dead animal. I can then easily picture him skillfully going to work to preserve what he could from the situation. He got through it. A lifetime of farming with problems like this is why he had such a peaceful presence about him.

It's a reminder to me that when we're overwhelmed by situations out of our control, the best thing to do is take a minute and ask yourself, "what are my priorities right now?"

Most solutions have an expiry date. Unfortunately, being angry at the reality of your problem may cause you to miss those expiration dates. Save your energy.

Accept your limits. Acknowledge your strengths and set your eyes on what you can do today.