A few months ago, my daily whining to Anne about the laborious routine of chores hit a critical level. My trusty, heavy-duty, two-wheeled wheelbarrow had somehow been getting heavier and harder to push by the day. Every trip to the barn was a slog. Add in the fall mud, and it felt like I was wading through quicksand just to get the sheep their feed.
I spent days strategizing ways to make chores easier without breaking the bank. One evening, I came across something called an electric wheelbarrow. Could that be the solution? An effortless way to haul heavy loads? I started obsessing over it, imagining how my life might change.
At the same time, another train of thought started creeping in: Is this the beginning of the end? I mean, I’m not a spring chicken anymore, but I’m still a long way from hanging up my barn boots. Yet chores felt harder every day. Maybe I needed to eat better? I doubled down on hearty bacon-and-egg breakfasts, but still, the struggle continued.
Then one day, as I trudged through the barnyard with the wheelbarrow piled high with feed, disaster struck. The ground was slick with snow, and I lost control. The whole load tipped over, spilling feed everywhere. Frustrated and out of breath, I stood there in the cold, staring at the mess and thinking, What the heck is going on? Why is this so hard all of a sudden?
That evening, I was back at it, wheelbarrow loaded again. As I pushed along, I noticed something strange. My shoulders were tipped to one side, and the wheelbarrow was tilted awkwardly. Why is this thing on an angle? And that’s when it hit me—what should have been obvious months ago:
The wheelbarrow had a flat tire.
I wasn’t getting weaker. The job was just harder because the tool I relied on wasn’t working right.
Isn’t that how life goes sometimes? We carry heavier loads than we need to because we haven’t stopped to figure out what’s really wrong. It’s easy to spiral into self-doubt, assuming the problem is with us, when all we need is a little adjustment—or in this case, a new tire.
I fixed the flat the next day, and let me tell you, the difference was night and day. It was like I had my old self back. Now, every time I push that wheelbarrow with ease, I think about how much time I wasted worrying over nothing.
Maybe there’s a lesson here for all of us. Life can feel heavy sometimes, but before you assume it’s all on you, take a step back and check your “tires.” The fix might be easier than you think.
Here’s to rolling through life with a little less struggle—and fully inflated tires.
Farmer Rod
It Wasn’t Me, But It Took Me Months to Realize Why
