Where's the song ~~ "Don't let your daughters grow up to marry a Cowboy" ?

​​​​​​​Life is tough! Requires hard physical work, long, long days of pain, dirt, and broken fingernails.​
​Days of frigid cold & scorching heat; through the dust & mud; daybreak into the darkness of nite~~​
​the heart & body becomes toughened & weathered replicating leather!​
​A forever constant factor for a real Cowboy's Wife is tons of sweat, oceans of tears and a constant 'drought' in the wallet!​
​​
​​
​​
​​​​​​​​​IF​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ she wants to spend anytime at all with her Cowboy, she must do as he does, you become partners!​
​​
​​
​​
​​
​​​​​​Kick off your boots, grab a cup of coffee, sit back and envision yourself in my life!​
​... It really isn't that bad! There are many rewards to be had to make it a great lifestyle! ...​ ​​​​​​​


Sunday, June 22, 2008

On the Rim of a Bucket...

...I've sat impatiently all day! (Mentally speaking..)

...Pondering the words from a comment made by LL to last nites post. Hope LL doesn't mind if I quote him....... (of course he doesn't..anyone can read it!)...

..."and I can safely say I rarely have seen someone who "gets it" ...

And I'm still pondering as my fingers are trying to hit the right keys.

"gets it"..."gets it"...

Do I "gets it" ? That depends of one's interpretation of "gets it".

I will however, interpret those words after a longgggggggg days' ponderance...my way. And at the rate my brain is working. This could take me to the wee hrs of the nite to finish...and ya'll will have hit the "next" button before I'm finished.....(Thanks, LL, I haven't felt this mentally challenged about my life, since my college days!) Oh well..........

Been dangling the toes of my right foot, outside that bucket...letting the breezes & even the gnats, whisper by them...ignoring any innuendos. Freedom; carefree; peace; warmth; flippancy.

The toes of my left foot, for all practical purposes as I am left handed, have been draped inside of the bucket...clambering against the cold hard steel, tangled amongst the contents therein
.....my life!
Hardships; rewards; disappointments; fulfillments; resentments; forgiveness; survival. And so many others!
Would I trade the left toes for the right toes? NEVER!
My life with a Cowboy has been challenging to say the least!
We've moved tons; we've lived without running water, power & plumbing; we've worked physically beyond the limits our bodies were created for; we've been sued by "Seattlites" wanting a rural lifestyle...yet not liking their inability to change that rural setting~ into "Seattle in the country". (which we lost & had to sell, for a loss, as we didn't have enough $$ to fight for our rights). We have truthfully lived on a dime, still do...& at times less than! (once, Hubby painted a local gas station in order to buy a dress for the daughter to go to a prom!). Material things have not been a priority for us..birthday & Christmas gifts were a rarity (still are!) ...a happy, loving HOME is all that we have needed. The kids worked summer jobs when old enough, even after school some, for things they wanted yet we could not afford. There were times they bought a few groceries with their earnings. Then came the college years...they both worked as they attended, got student loans....
...we could not afford to help them, financially.

Do I resent the struggles, the strife, the fights we've dealt with over the years? I'd be lying if I said "No". At times, there was resentment. Not at my Cowboy, not at our children, not at our life....it was directed at those who could not accept, or who wanted us to change who we were! We still have friends & acquaintances who tell us how amazed they are that we survived as a couple with all we've been through.
We survived....because of the respect & love for each other & our chosen lifestyle. It's embedded in our souls.

The biggest compliment, the most loving reward comes from our son. He is still single...still in search of that perfect mate.
(We wish he'd lower his ideals somewhat tho...)
1) "She" has to meet or beat his Sister's qualities...educated; compassionate for life, the earth & others; independent yet capable of sharing; a hard worker yet loves pampering & having fun; a good cook (altho he can cook superbly himself!); & the ability to grow, survive & thrive with life's struggles...all the qualities & values he says we instilled in them.
2) He says he'd love for a relationship that equals half of what we have!
"She" must have the desire & be capable of working along side him through life, through love, to cry, to share, to sacrifice, to give to a relationship as I have to my Cowboy! Heart & Soul.

Did we create an impossible dream for him, for teaching him our ways of love & life?
We hope not.
Do we wish they would have followed life in our footsteps?
Heck no!
Did they have resentments for their upbringing, what they missed out on?
Maybe....but we hope they've gotten over it.

And I'll say it again, ....I would not trade my left toes inside that bucket of life & the tangled web of time, for the right toes on the outside! Not a chance!
I may have aged faster, become more weathered & worn, but I've become a stronger, independant woman, a more compassionate wife...because Hubby & I have been a team throughout our lives together! We have survived!
So, do I "gets it" ? I think so...

8 comments:

LL said...

See? You've gone and done it again...

As for your son and his standards, do you really wish that he'd get married to someone less than that? Someone who is fragile and needs taken care of? Someone who lacks the basic kindness that growing up in the Real West instills (I know I'm not scoring any points with that one)? Someone who'd rather quit and go for the easy life at the twentieth sign of adversity? Oh no... I seriously doubt you do...

And although I've made you ponder, this I can say for now... contentment comes in many forms, and once you "get it" you can be content with very little even without being trouble free...

Anonymous said...

Keep those standards impossibly high -- I did and I found the love of my life. He met and surpassed my ideals and we have carved out the life of my dreams.

The only time high standards are wrong is if you can't live up to them yourself. After all, you can't ask someone else to be something that you can't. It's not fair.

Tell him to stay strong. He has the right idea.

Blessings!
Lacy

Anonymous said...

Look what you've gone and done! You have raised a family that know what it is to do without, learned that if you want something it will take hard work not a hand out. Shown children that nothing in life is given to you, you earn it. Your son's standards are commendable! He deserves "THAT" girl with all those qualities! He deserves someone who was raised as he was. Why would he want a pampered priss, who did not do without. He will only have to work harder to make her happy. I say you did a great job raising your family. I know... it's how I was raised! Here's to you and your Cowboy! You should open a school!!

Greyhound Girl said...

I think he should have high standards... and if that was a want ad- can i apply?

And I think it's wonderful that he wants what you and your hubby have!

And I think you "get it"... just from what I've read here...! :)

The W.O.W. factor! said...

C, K & Sunsets~ Thanks for your kind words. You know, we actually DID think about a "school" years ago, but heck everyone thought we were crazy for our lifestyle as it was! We have taken in & raised 'renegade' nieces & nephews for 6-24 months. SHOCK to their systems, for sure, but the nephews have turned out great, can't say it's true for one niece tho.

Prof~ No, not a want ad, but I could send him your Blog if ya want!..don't know if he Blogs or not...I pretty much don't 'ask' about gals as I don't like to either: get my hopes up...or feel his heartache....He has to be the one bring it up...and he knows how much I bite my tongue...ALOT!! Ya know, the curiosity killed the cat syndrome? That's me...

Greyhound Girl said...

My blog might scare the pants off him! haha!

My dad doesn't ask me either... he reads my blog which worries him enough sometimes

Anonymous said...

Me and my husband were wondering yesterday about how we had been raised in the 70's and never experienced a lack of anything. At that time people rather talked and discussed great ideas and ideals instead of living them. How did you find the balance between walking your talk and living the consequences but at the same time share and nurture your family with those things that have made them into who they are today? Did you do anything specific to pass your values and beliefs as a legacy to you children?

Unknown said...

My hat is off to you and your cowboy! I definately think you "gets it". It took me many years before I found my "cowboy". My only regret is that he is not my childrens father. Although, they were adults when he and I met, they have learned much from him and love him as much as I do! Your son should keep looking and not settle! Take care! Christina