Where does your road lead you to?  We all have a long and winding road within our lives.  Our journey along this road… is what we make of it.

We need to appreciate the journey and not look for a final destination in our lives.  Appreciate our loved ones that we share this road with.  Appreciate the natural beauty all around us.  And appreciate the heart and soul within us all.

After a busy weekend on the farm, family commitments and a bought of heat exhaustion… my reflection is a little late this time.  The never-ending tasks on the farm and the workload 7 days a week, more so as a result of drought as time becomes a limiting factor… is tiring me.  It has left me thinking about what is really important in our lives.  Our family, our loved ones, those that our lives revolve around… these people are the ones we need to cherish and hold dearly.

I spent my Sunday mustering stock, early weaning calves, weighing stud cattle and organising some cows to sell to pay a few bills.  The dry and dusty conditions and the heat makes it a very tiring day.  The usual early start to beat the heat and finally a late dinner by 8:30pm.  Then comes the paperwork and updating computer records to meet record-keeping requirements on-farm.  I finished at 1:00am in the morning.

So then only 4 and a half hours sleep before Monday morning weighing lambs and sending the lambs off to market.  The lack of sleep coupled with the heat, left me with heat exhaustion.  By 4:30pm yesterday and the shock of vomiting, as weakness and vagueness set in, I gave in to the exhaustion and lay on down.  I awoke in a daze over 2 hours later, confused somewhat but ready for dinner.  No office work that evening at all.  I made a dinner from leftovers in the fridge, showered and watched a nice movie on television.  An enjoyable evening and one that has become a rarity.  Relaxation has been lost this last year… and is greatly missed.

Today as my office work is piling up and I procrastinate as to where to start, I decide to write this blog first.  My chance to unwind mentally and share a part of my life with you all.  I reflected on the relevance of the photo I have chosen for today.

Rural Reflection #3…

This photo shows the driveway to my property and my home near Tamworth NSW.  It was taken in April 2017 in the Autumn, when the green aspect was the norm.  I really like the dark green tree on the right for its facade and shape but I have no idea what sort of tree it actually is.  Does anybody recognise what tree this may be?

I like this photo as it depicts a road well-travelled and a road that leads on home.  It also reflects a better season than what is upon us right now and reminds me that one day the drought will be over and we will see this green scenery once again.

Sometimes life just gets too busy that we do not stop to appreciate the simple things in our life.  I can look at this photo and know that whatever challenges I have to face… I still have a road that leads to home and a haven where I can also find my own inner peace and where my happiness now resides.

As my sons have grown up now and living their own lives independently, I also hope they see a road that leads them back home to us to appreciate their history and the roots of our family.  I also hope that they find their own future happiness and be able to continue to return along this road… to where a loving family awaits their cherished visits.

One thing we must all understand… it is not the home and materialistic objects in our lives, that are of value.  It is the people, our loved ones in our lives… that make our home a home.  The road that we follow in our life, is one that we carve out.  A road that leads us to our own true happiness.

Take care, Karen.

“Chase your dreams

but always know the road

that’ll lead you home again.”

~ Tim McGraw