Farming Follies: Shattered Glass and a Pickup Pickle – Life's Imperfections!

We all make mistakes, don't we? It's a lesson I find myself remembering today. Accepting mistakes can be tough in the moment, but it's the best way forward. After all, none of us are perfect.

This fall, during bean harvest, I was out combining a field at Mom and Dad's farm. Dean (Dad) had the idea to move some empty wagons over to the field I was working in. A short one-minute trip, so he left the glass door of the tractor open. Well, that door hit something as he pulled away, shattering into pieces. As he drove into view with a wave through the now non-existent door and a slight smile, I could tell he felt bad but wasn't overly concerned. It was a beautiful day, and harvest was going smoothly. I wasn't thrilled about the situation, but I wasn't too upset either. I knew it was an accident, and I tried hard to keep that in mind.

Now, fast forward to the task at hand this afternoon: I'm heading to an appointment to get a new back window for my pickup truck. Yesterday, while unloading a piece of equipment from my pickup box using the tractor, I cautioned myself to be very careful as I was close to the window. Then, in a moment that seemed almost predestined, I somehow put the tractor in forward gear instead of reverse. In an instant, the back window of the pickup shattered. I felt terrible! When Anne got home from work and noticed the new purchase, she asked, "What did you do?" I replied, "That's what I bought, not what I did," pointing at the pickup. She immediately quipped, "Nice going, Dean!" and I recalled that day only a few months prior. Anne assured me it wasn't the end of the world, and I reflected on how I wasn't upset with Dad that day, and maybe shouldn't be so upset with myself either. As I've mentioned before, none of us are perfect, and that's what makes life a ride. Perfect would be so boring!

Rod Ewing
Your Farmer
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