Other Side

The other side of the fence is a tempting place. Things over there are just out of reach. Close enough to see how wonderful it is, and easy to get caught in the 'if only' trap.

If only I were on the other side, things would be better; everything would work out. There couldn't be stress over there on the other side, just look at it, it's so green. There is opportunity on the other side. It's plentiful. I'd never fail over there. And the breeze! Even the breeze on that side looks more inviting, just look how the grass sways.

I find myself doing that more often than I care to admit. "I just need to get through this week." Racing through the things, the obligations. The weekend is on the other side of the fence and filled with a different kind of opportunity. A free space where there is time to develop a strategy, make as many or as few plans as necessary, and enjoy slow mornings that lead to productive (or as productive as we care to be) afternoons. It's all a blank canvas. 

This weekend, we finished a fence we've been working on for a few weeks. Tackling small pieces of a big project as time and weather would allow. No matter how you do it, fencing is decidedly un-fun. It's a lot of work. There's sweating and swearing. Lifting and pulling. Coaxing and cajoling. All to create a new other side. Ironic?

But when it was done and we turned the cows out, it was worth it. They waded through the grass, barely visible in the middle of their new pasture of plenty. 

I could have sat there all day to watch them jump and dance. Enjoying their precious time on the other side of the fence. But I didn't, I was determined to continue my productivity.

When I went to check on them in the afternoon, I found that they had wandered back to where their day began. Standing in the cool shade of the familiar. Enjoying the breeze on the old side of the fence.

There is something comforting about the familiar. The routine predictability of it all. Maybe that's the challenge, to see the other side for what it is, all while knowing that this familiar side has its perks too. There's no need to race through the things, the obligations. They exist on the other side too, maybe just hidden in that tall swaying grass.