Enjoy the Ride

For years, I was jealous of other women that I had grown up with simply because they got to stay home and raise their babies on farms and ranches that weren’t theirs, while I had to split my time between working full time in town, raising children with a husband on the road, and playing cowgirl on the occasional rare weekend.

I was angry that they got to live the life I wanted so terribly, while I was miserable.

I was bitter, because while I spent every day hauling myself and my kids to town, to a job I hated and a daycare that burned up most of my paycheck, those other women never had to leave their houses.

And then one day, I realized that the life I had been living was exactly what I needed in this season.

I could not be a stay home mom to toddlers, and maintain my sanity.

I could not work from home, while homeschooling my kids, and be good at any of it.

I needed to work for someone else, to learn to respect other people’s time, talents, and perspectives.

I had to deal with unpleasant people, to learn to have empathy for others.

God has a funny way of reminding us who is in charge.

The jealousy finally subsided when I realized that their lives were not perfect, and that for some of them, not at all what they wanted their lives to look like.

The anger left once I realized that I was making myself miserable, by not being grateful for the life I had.

The bitter feelings disappeared when it dawned on me that this was God’s plan all along, and that I needed to stop being upset over something I couldn’t control.

Life is a beautiful blessing, and I wish it hadn’t taken me so many years to realize it. If I could go back in time and tell a younger version of myself anything, it would be to just enjoy the ride. Just because you don’t know the final destination, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the view along the way.

I’m learning to make the best of every day. Even when I want to just crawl back under the covers, and let the world pass me by, I am learning to embrace it. No matter how hard life gets, it’s important to remember that even the harshest winters don’t last forever.

❤️ Richelle

Originally written for @cattlebusinessweekly