Feel and a Feeling… Stress Free Cattle Work

I’ve just completed another chapter in my next book.

Here are some excerpts.

The chapter begins…

“Sammy often talked about the importance of not chasing the cattle. On the days we’d move the cattle, Sammy would get in front of the herd and start calling and they’d get up and begin following. My job was to be in the back and ensure none of the herd stayed behind. Eventually, Sammy had me moving the herd alone. I’d call and they’d follow with no one in the back, but every time I had the opportunity to move the herd with Sammy I learned something new. “

One of my favorite lessons from Sammy… “ the need for pressure or no pressure can change and it’s a feeling you get.”

More excerpts
…“We’d be behind the herd, calling (singing the cattle song), and sometimes Sammy would say to me, “Don’t let up on the pressure. Don’t chase them, but don’t stop moving or the bulls can start fighting and push the whole herd back on top of us. “ Other times he’s say, “Hold off, once you get them moving in the direction you want, remove the pressure. They know where to go.” I believe he gave different instructions for what seemed the same scenario based on what he saw my tendency to be at that moment; to help me learn to feel and to read each situation. “

…”I want to say more about how the cattle followed us when we called, because that, to me, was one of the things about Sammy that made him a master. He taught me about how he taught the herd to call.”

…”When the day came that Sammy nonchalantly told me, “You can move them, they’ll follow you”, I realized why he’d told me all along to do those things. He never said, “This is an important ingredient”. He simply told me to do certain things a certain way and I did. Then he’d give me more responsibility and those were the moments I realized he’d been preparing me.”

Of course, by the end of the chapter I had to go off on a side trail and talk about the life lessons as I reflect. Here’s a little piece of that discussion……”I’d like to go off on a bit of a side trail here and talk about how these 5 years changed me. As I wrote this chapter, the importance of being willing to be uncomfortable when you know you’re following your heart, came back to me. The first time Sammy had me get behind the herd I remember like it was yesterday how nervous I was. A couple of the bulls were in the back of the herd. “

…”Without being in a situation where I cared about the outcome and didn’t want to let my mentor down, as well as having clarity that I was following my soul’s calling, I would not have ever put myself in this situation and followed through. Get uncomfortable. Find some purpose that speaks to your heart.”

Thanks so much for joining me on this journey. This is truly the juicy part for me! Reliving the moments with Sammy and sharing them with you. Please send any thoughts or comments. I treasure the connections!