Summer is a special season for most Americans. This is a time when Teachers and Students get a break from each other and when other adults usually get a break from work. Summer is also a time when people spend a lot of time together. They go to cookouts, pool parties, or take weekend get-a-ways. Growing up in the country my summers normally were spent in a cattle barn, hay field and pastures. We were either working show cattle, hauling hay or repairing fence.
When I was young there was no internet, no cell phones and no insta - anything. If we wanted to communicate with each other we had to pick up the land line phone and call that person. Or we would write them a letter. I know it sounds crazy to some of you younger people. Many of us actually could fill an entire day and not speak to anyone but the people in our house or even no one at all.
The times we live in now are a lot different as we are instantly connected to people and have 24/7 access to information. If we want to get up and google why you might have supper powers, you can do that in an instant. Summer time is a time when a lot of people can rejuvenate and get their heads right. It's also a time to make tons of memories.
When I was younger a lot of time was spent tending to the garden, riding my bike, playing in the sprinkler and swinging on my swing-set. As I grew older it was a lot more time in the barn tending to the cattle, feeding watering, rinsing and working with my calves I was going to show the next year. There was also stalls to be cleaned out, hay to haul and always fence to mend. Time seemed to pass by fairly quickly and was full of great memories.
As we get older we seem to always learn that there are always more items to be done around the house, around the barn or just around your apartment. The problem we run into is these pesky electronic devices. We always have a phone, computer, tablet or TV within reach at all times. People are staying connected 24/7.
Summer time should be a time to disconnect. Summer time should be a time when we let the real life go and start enjoying ourselves. I have always loved summer. Now I am a big guy and sweet all the time. I have since I was a kid. It will be snow on the ground middle of an ice storm at the Ft Worth Stock Show and I will be sweating. The heat does not bother me and I love to feel the warmth of the summer days. What I really love is going outside, leaving my phone in the house and just enjoying time around the house. Sitting on the porch with dad, working on a project around the house or just sitting on the tailgate whittling.
We tend to get all bound up in activities during the summer. Our kids have to be doing something all the time. They have swimming lessons, baseball, tumbling, cheer, or even school for some kids. I actually believe that all these activities are wonderful for kids. Just make sure you plan time outside of that for them to be kids. Play in the dirt, ride their bikes, draw on the sidewalks with chalk. Let kids be kids. Give them a book to read, jig-saw puzzle, crossword or even crayons and markers. Let their minds take them where they want to go all day long.
The one piece of advice I will always give is this, turn off all electronics. Disconnect from "reality TV" and reconnect with your family or friends. While taking the summer off is a luxury when a lot of us get over. It is important to appreciate it when we do get these opportunities. Tend to your gardens and your life.
One of the biggest problems we have today is that we are so connected to our phones and the internet we tend to loose time with each other. As a country, we have states that have to pass laws to tell people to NOT be on their phones. That is crazy. Most people I know cannot walk and chew gum at the same time, much less drive a motor vehicle and text at the same time. The worst part is most people I see on their phone are my age or older. People you have to put that phone down.
I always laugh at rules I see posted in some places. Places have signs like, don't pee in the pool, employees wash hands before returning to work, or stop at a school crossing. We have these signs and rules because people have done these actions! Why??!!! I laugh because most rules or laws are created because some people lack common sense. Why do we need a law that says don't text and drive? It's because too many people are so consumed with their phones they literally cannot put them down. This is a sad state.
There is hope though for our country. We can all take a stand now, this summer, and put an end to these destructive ways. Everyone should take and schedule time when they will be on their phones or computers. It's a little like training your brain to eat correctly again. Don't eat anything after 8 PM is my training now a days. Maybe you say no phones after 9 PM. No TV on Wednesday nights. No computers or phones on Sundays.
The summer time is the perfect time to reconnect with yourself or with your friends and family. This is a time when you can put your electronics away and get to know one another. Have a real conversation with people. Sit down and hand write a letter to someone. Take time to walk to your next store and not drive 1/10 of a mile.
As a lot of people embark on vacations to fun theme parks or camping. A lot of farm/country kids will be working in barns and counting the hours until their state shows, national shows and reconnecting with their friends from across the country. Because at the end of the day, seeing and talking to people in PERSON is ten times better than over a text, email, tweet or comment. Hugging your friends necks and laughing those deep belly laughs makes your heart full, soul satisfied and life more complete.
"I was so afraid to go out west to my aunt's ranch. But the only choice my mother gave me was to go for two weeks or all summer. I wound up staying all summer. And that's where I learned about cattle. I could relate to their behavior, their fears." ~ Temple Grandin
When I was young there was no internet, no cell phones and no insta - anything. If we wanted to communicate with each other we had to pick up the land line phone and call that person. Or we would write them a letter. I know it sounds crazy to some of you younger people. Many of us actually could fill an entire day and not speak to anyone but the people in our house or even no one at all.
The times we live in now are a lot different as we are instantly connected to people and have 24/7 access to information. If we want to get up and google why you might have supper powers, you can do that in an instant. Summer time is a time when a lot of people can rejuvenate and get their heads right. It's also a time to make tons of memories.
When I was younger a lot of time was spent tending to the garden, riding my bike, playing in the sprinkler and swinging on my swing-set. As I grew older it was a lot more time in the barn tending to the cattle, feeding watering, rinsing and working with my calves I was going to show the next year. There was also stalls to be cleaned out, hay to haul and always fence to mend. Time seemed to pass by fairly quickly and was full of great memories.
As we get older we seem to always learn that there are always more items to be done around the house, around the barn or just around your apartment. The problem we run into is these pesky electronic devices. We always have a phone, computer, tablet or TV within reach at all times. People are staying connected 24/7.
Summer time should be a time to disconnect. Summer time should be a time when we let the real life go and start enjoying ourselves. I have always loved summer. Now I am a big guy and sweet all the time. I have since I was a kid. It will be snow on the ground middle of an ice storm at the Ft Worth Stock Show and I will be sweating. The heat does not bother me and I love to feel the warmth of the summer days. What I really love is going outside, leaving my phone in the house and just enjoying time around the house. Sitting on the porch with dad, working on a project around the house or just sitting on the tailgate whittling.
We tend to get all bound up in activities during the summer. Our kids have to be doing something all the time. They have swimming lessons, baseball, tumbling, cheer, or even school for some kids. I actually believe that all these activities are wonderful for kids. Just make sure you plan time outside of that for them to be kids. Play in the dirt, ride their bikes, draw on the sidewalks with chalk. Let kids be kids. Give them a book to read, jig-saw puzzle, crossword or even crayons and markers. Let their minds take them where they want to go all day long.
The one piece of advice I will always give is this, turn off all electronics. Disconnect from "reality TV" and reconnect with your family or friends. While taking the summer off is a luxury when a lot of us get over. It is important to appreciate it when we do get these opportunities. Tend to your gardens and your life.
One of the biggest problems we have today is that we are so connected to our phones and the internet we tend to loose time with each other. As a country, we have states that have to pass laws to tell people to NOT be on their phones. That is crazy. Most people I know cannot walk and chew gum at the same time, much less drive a motor vehicle and text at the same time. The worst part is most people I see on their phone are my age or older. People you have to put that phone down.
I always laugh at rules I see posted in some places. Places have signs like, don't pee in the pool, employees wash hands before returning to work, or stop at a school crossing. We have these signs and rules because people have done these actions! Why??!!! I laugh because most rules or laws are created because some people lack common sense. Why do we need a law that says don't text and drive? It's because too many people are so consumed with their phones they literally cannot put them down. This is a sad state.
There is hope though for our country. We can all take a stand now, this summer, and put an end to these destructive ways. Everyone should take and schedule time when they will be on their phones or computers. It's a little like training your brain to eat correctly again. Don't eat anything after 8 PM is my training now a days. Maybe you say no phones after 9 PM. No TV on Wednesday nights. No computers or phones on Sundays.
The summer time is the perfect time to reconnect with yourself or with your friends and family. This is a time when you can put your electronics away and get to know one another. Have a real conversation with people. Sit down and hand write a letter to someone. Take time to walk to your next store and not drive 1/10 of a mile.
As a lot of people embark on vacations to fun theme parks or camping. A lot of farm/country kids will be working in barns and counting the hours until their state shows, national shows and reconnecting with their friends from across the country. Because at the end of the day, seeing and talking to people in PERSON is ten times better than over a text, email, tweet or comment. Hugging your friends necks and laughing those deep belly laughs makes your heart full, soul satisfied and life more complete.
"I was so afraid to go out west to my aunt's ranch. But the only choice my mother gave me was to go for two weeks or all summer. I wound up staying all summer. And that's where I learned about cattle. I could relate to their behavior, their fears." ~ Temple Grandin
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