Ever feel like your optimism battery is running low? I try my best to be the eternal optimist, but this week I’ll admit—I was running on empty.
It started with ultrasound day. Anne and I spent about three hours checking a group of ewes we bred in July, hoping for some good news. Instead, each ewe we checked just added to the disappointment. Not one pregnant. We had the same trouble last year, and I suppose that nearly 40-degree week in July is probably to blame. Mother Nature may have had her say, but I can’t tell you it was an easy day. Still, the job was done and we moved on.
Next up was bean harvest. We started in one of our poorer fields because we want to get winter wheat planted there as soon as possible. Now, it wasn’t the worst crop we’ve ever had, but it was far from the best—or even average. Still, I felt energized to be into harvest. The combine wasn’t broken, the beans were coming off, and that’s something.
The next morning I popped into the Co-op to order fertilizer. A couple of neighbours were gathered at the counter, and as I opened the door, I couldn’t resist. “Well, the good news is it only took half the time to harvest that field, I used half as much fuel in the combine, and I only had to make two trips to the elevator.” I paused and added, “Bad news is the yield was only 40 bushels an acre.” Not great.
Neighbour Doug, a kind old soul maybe 20 years ahead of me, chuckled and said, “You’ve got to look at the bright side, don’t ya?” We all had a laugh, poured a coffee, and went on with our days.
But by yesterday, another mistake in harvest tallied up into quite the preventable cost. And I’ll admit, that one stung. Between the empty ultrasounds, thin yields, and my own blunders, I found myself running low on optimism.
Tomorrow will come, I’m sure, and I’ll find new hope somewhere. But today? Today’s just going to have to sit the way it landed. And maybe that’s okay. Optimism doesn’t mean you never feel low—it just means you believe the next sunrise will bring another chance to get it right.
Farmer Rod
