Slumps & Spiritual Mumbo-jumbo...

If you find yourself going through a rough patch, my best advice is just keep going. Everything ends eventually. The good times only roll for a while, and the bad times are the same. It's like that in all aspects of life, horse training and team roping. The hard times pass, the colts gentle, and the slump ends...and all of it does so quietly, and without fanfare. You never see it coming and you most certainly can't predict it's leaving, but take it from me, someday it's gone and here comes the sun again.    You hear a lot of talk these days about enjoying the journey not just the end result, but have you ever really understood that? Or really forced yourself to live that way? I haven't until recently and let me tell you, it's a grind. I have just lately had an epiphany on the true meaning of all that sage wisdom about enjoying the journey, and by God, that is quite a lot harder than it should be. After all, as an action and results based human, I am easily frustrated by what I perceive as spiritual mumbo-jumbo bull crap, but this winter, I have come to believe that there is something to it. By golly, maybe everything isn't hinged on how hard I work, maybe I am not in charge of all that I survey.      I have always believed actions equal consequences...so if you put your whole heart into something and work hard, give it your all, the results are just naturally going to fall your way.     Now I'm starting to wonder if my line of thinking has been a bit off plumb all these years. I've been so goal oriented, taken on so much responsibility, for where I want to end up, I forgot to look around and appreciate the getting there. Make sense? I think it might be something we are all guilty of at times. After all, life seems to drag on forever somedays, and it's hard to appreciate everything it offers, even the mundane moments, which is what the getting where you want to be is made up of. Mundane moments. Slumps. Dry spells. Rough patches where you just have to take a deep seat and a shorter rein. Stick and stay and make it pay.    From a team roper's perspective, just keep riding up and roping your end. Don't worry. Don't change anything. If you catch everything for the heelers who aren't having a good day, and screw up for the one heeler who can't miss, well, I guess it simply wasn't your day. Enjoy roping anyway.     I've decided that life isn't here to be conquered after all. It is here to humble, shape, and educate us into some semblance of appreciation for all the moments it offers us, but doesn't owe us. How's that for spiritual mumbo-jumbo?     Have a great day folks!