“Messing up"... ya gotta smile!

When you “mess up"...

Sometimes it’s in public but sometimes only you know about it... but for sure it happens.

I haven’t found anything particularly inspiring about these situations. Humbling I suppose.

But it’s comforting to know that very successful people say they have lots of these experiences. They just keep on going and get some good ones too.

For the past several months I’ve been working with a national horse feed company testing out a product they have for horses with certain health issues. In our case, we’ve got an older horse with Cushings symptoms - where even just grass can be detrimental because it has too much sugar in it.

So along with their new product combined with other feed to help him gain weight, add palatibility, etc. I also weighed the amount of hay for each meal.

Our horse was doing so well that the company decided to include him in their promotion and flew in a photo team to do an interview.

This horse has been our “kid” horse. That means that we put new folks on him because he can be trusted to give them a nice ride. We usually just get him from the pasture and throw a saddle on him and go at it.

But this day I thought I should give him a little exercise in the round pen first. I hadn’t done this for years probably but the horses know my hand and body signals and so they run in one direction until I motion for them to reverse, etc. He did a nice job. I thought there would be some nice photos taken later on.

But did I mention that this old horse was stubborn? Had his own opinions about what he wanted to do? And that exercise was not one of those things?

That afternoon the photo team positioned themselves at the corral as I walked our boy in and gave the signal to move on out. Well, he just turned and stared at me. He didn’t move a muscle! It was like he said, “I did this earlier... not again.”

I couldn’t believe it... but I should have. It has long been my conclusion that if my horses can think of anything to embarrass me, they will. (I used to think my kids would do that too.)

After much exertion on my part I finally went to the barn and got a lariat. I threw it behind him to get him to move along... but he still just stood there.

I walked along side him and he finally moved... but immediately stood still if I moved away.

Finally he moved and I hoped they got some good pictures.

Another recent experience of "messing up" came on the football field... but not from me. It was professional football - the Vikings vs. the Packers. When you make a mistake there, everyone can see it!

And so when Defensive End, Brian Robison #96 of the Vikings had the ball stripped from his hand for a turnover - we all saw it. And because I’m the self-appointed head of our local fan club for him - I get the calls and e-mails about what he does!

So I not only do my own dumb things, I get heat about someone else’s too!

I’m getting good at this messing up - let’s get on to the successful stuff soon!

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