Let's do this

There have been times back through the years when something had to be done, but I didn't want to do it. I remember one time when I was doing maintenance work while going to college. Some of the wood shingles had come off the roof of a two-story wing on a nice house of one of the executives who worked at Phillips Petroleum. My ladder was barely able to reach the second story roof. So one day I decided it had to be done. It was difficult and dangerous, but it had to be done. Wonder why some tasks just seem so bad that we want to stall and delay and postpone? It's like the longer we delay, the better the whole situation will be. It isn't!

Back on 9/11 one of the planes that was hijacked ended up crashing in a field near Indian Lake and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. What stood out to me was the passengers started a revolt to take back control of the plane. One of the passengers said something like "Let's roll" or "Let's do this." It was at that very moment when the passengers began the revolt to take back the plane. It was their only hope to get control of the plane and prevent further loss of life like the planes which crashed into the twin towers and the pentagon. Come what may it had to be done.

Back when I was attending college at Chadron, Nebraska, I worked at the Livestock Sale Barn, but I also rode horses for Vic Roberts. He had probably 15 to 20 horses northeast of Chadron. The first horse I rode of his was a "problem child" to borrow a phrase from today. He was a lineback buckskin gelding probably 6 or 7 years old and green broke. Vic Roberts had hired a couple guys to ride Kelley, but he had simply acted up with them, so they were done with Kelley. Kelley didn't seem to be a bucker, but he had sure scared a couple riders. Vic Roberts wanted me to ride him as a test horse to see what I could do, to see if I passed the test. Only way to find out was to put my old Feusner saddle on him and climb on!

I put a bit I had where you could put two sets of reins on Kelley. One pair of reins was where the snaffle bit went through his mouth, and these were draw reins. The bit also had long shanks on it and a chain curb strap. I had reins on the long shanks as well. Vic didn't have much land so Kelley and I found a gate and went exploring. Probably put 14-15 miles on him before we made it back to the barn. Only one way to find out if I could ride him was to saddle up and do it. I probably put 150 miles on him before Vic sold him. Kelley was a 3Bars-bred gelding. Nice horse. Our oldest son Victor is named after Vic Roberts.

Cleaning the chicken house was one of those tasks I put off and put off. Mick usually ended up cleaning it. Cleaning up cat barf. Maybe folding the clothes. For Marge and me, it's putting down rows of plastic mulch in the spring. For me, it's finally doing some mechanical work, like on a tractor. For me, it's going to some get together where a crowd is involved.

Could also be admitting we're wrong. Could be righting a wrong. Might be apologizing. Might even be admitting we don't know how. Could be about anything that we really hate doing.

Hardest part for me is getting started so I have to make up my mind "I'm doing this no matter what." I make a hard copy "to do" list. That's my start. Enlist a helper to keep me accountable. Have them check and make sure I've done it. The reward is marking off the list as "done" and a feeling of accomplishment.

Don't put important things off when you know you need to but you're afraid or reluctant to get it done.