A Matter of Perspective

I was thinking about something the other day as we were talking at the office. I said, “We should be standing over there,” and I motioned toward the water cooler.

I don’t remember which of us said it but we called it the “water tank” instead of the “water cooler.”

That started some laughs and reminiscing about the water tanks we remembered as kids.

I remember taking a little “swim” in the water tank. It was freezing! 

I remember the cow cud and algae build up in the tank and scooping that scum out with my bare hands.

I remember talking with the cows and calves as they came up to get a drink. I remember watching them drink and drink and drink. I do not remember them talking back to me very much. An occasional  “moo” but that was about it!

I pondered on if we were like the cows that came to the water tank. Did they talk? I know they jostled for position at the tank. I remember this red spotted holstein cow we had. She seemed to always win these contests. I guess she was the alpha cow.

I like to talk with my co-workers/friends near the water cooler at the office. We catch up and it seems like we always learn something new.

We may not be just like the cows at the water tank, but we do like to share our thoughts with each other. And just like those cows from long ago, we like to be together to face the storms of life.

I remember a few years ago learning (not at the water cooler or the water tank) that cows are very scared during a storm. They will try to run away from it. They will run as fast as they can to try to outrun it, but eventually, the storm almost always catches them, either because the storm is moving faster or because the cows run out of space to run.

I also learned about the buffalo. (I think I have shared this before, but it is a good one and can teach a lot about life.)

I learned that the buffalo does not try to run from the storm. Instead, they run directly into it and they get through it so much faster and without the terror that the cows endure.

Every day we are faced with challenges—storms of varying degrees—and every day we make choices that either make those storms last much longer by trying to outrun them or we can run directly at them and get through them much faster.

Are you a runner? All of us are in one way or another.

I’m just thankful that we have a water cooler/tank at the newspaper office so that I can get some advice on which way to run!