The little things are big

She’s a Hereford girl, but swears she’s an advocate for the entire beef industry, regardless of breed type.  We’re glad to have her chiming in. –Miranda

In a world where the common theme always seems to come down to one word, “MORE,” we tend to never be satisfied with all we have. I’ll be the first to admit that I am guilty of always wanting something more – new jeans (my weakness), more show heifers, the latest fads – you name it, I’m sure at some point we’ve been left wanting it.

What if I told you to take a step back, take a deep breath, and start thinking about all that you DO have…could you do it? I am not talking about those material items – that new car, your new phone, etc. – I want you to dig deeper…think of the things that you have that you can not necessarily see…

When Junior Nationals, leadership conferences, and State Fair were over this past summer, that only meant one thing: school. I’ll be completely honest I wasn’t exactly ready to be eight hours from home, again.  But when I arrived back to K-State’s campus this fall, the unseen treasures became very evident to me. A sign of growing up?  Quite possibly, but hey it happens to the best of us. Suddenly, I began to realize how much I really DO have in my life.

Hopefully, when you thought of things you DO have you came up with your friends.  Being part of the livestock industry, or a certain breed, gives us the opportunity to meet and make friends with people from all over the country who share the same passions as us.

As a showmanship judge told us once, these people we are meeting and making friends with will become our life-long friends, husbands, brides, groomsmen, bridesmaids. (A note to our parents: you better watch who we are hanging out with!)

Another thing that should have come to mind is your family.  Those people standing outside the show ring are the ones we shouldn’t take for granted but more often than not, we do.  Without those parents, siblings, mentors, we would not receive the same experiences that we’ve had.  That truth transcends cattle shows and our young adult years–we can all relate.

Finally, we all should be thankful for the opportunities that we are able to take advantage of, such as Junior Nationals, leadership conferences, and even showing cattle at the county fair.  Someone, somewhere is fighting for our freedom…and yes, that freedom allows us to the opportunity to raise livestock.

Beginning to hit home now? I would not be where I am in life without the involvement that I’ve had in the cattle industry. Now with that said, the ability to attend these awesome events put on by our beloved breed associations and regional and national cattle organizations are opportunities – so take advantage of them! Step outside your comfort zone and seize the opportunity that is staring you in the face.  Speaking from experience, I promise you won’t ever regret it!

The next time you start to feel like you “need” more – just think about the memories you’ve made or a conversation from your friend a few states away, or your family who is with you every step of the way.  I once heard, “What if you woke up one morning and the only things you had were the things you thanked God for the day before…”

Well, what would you have?

~Tamar

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