The Hazards of Life

First of all, I'm extremely sorry that I haven't posted for the past TWO Thursdays!! But if you must have an explanation of why life as Shelbs has been too busy for words, I'll refer you to an earlier blog post "Life Isn't Always Simple." I'm sure if you're a high school student like me, you can only imagine the kinds of insanity that has been my life recently. But here we go!

I guess I have a soft spot for red animals with white necks. (I mean I guess it could be a coincidence.) A few weeks ago, I brought home my last show pig, and after much deliberation, I decided on naming him Roscoe. He is the color of a Duroc with a white stripe like a Hampshire and black spots on his hams. I absolutely adore him, and so you'll fall in love with him, too, I've posted a picture of my little guy.

 



Today ended like any other regular day. I came home afterschool. I was spraying down the hog pen with the water hose, singing along to the radio playing in the background, and enjoying the rare early fall breeze. The pigs tugged at my boot straps, nudged my legs and ankles with their noses, and ran around in the water hose until my dad poured their feed. Suddenly I hear my dad's startled voice behind me, but can't discern what he's saying. I turn around, disturbed to find Roscoe has thrown up and is about to repeat his performance. We look around, but we can't find anything out of the ordinary, except the annoying little black beetles crawling across the wet concrete pen. If you know anything about pigs, you know they'll eat anything and everything that will fit into their mouths, so it was not out of the question that he had eaten a bug and it had upset his stomach.

As my little sister's pig scarfed down his dinner, Roscoe wandered over, sniffed the feed, and promptly returned to a corner, where he puked again. I noticed that when he moved, he stumbled and seemed off-balance, as if he was dizzy or nauseous. Instantly, I begin thinking of the worst case scenario. What if he was sick and this was just the beginning of a long battle? Any mishap that could cause him to go off his feed was not only detrimental to his health - it would set us back for the coming show season.

I may deny harboring any maternal instincts whatsoever. But the truth is, nothing stresses me out more than an animal or a child in distress. I hovered over my pig, monitoring his breathing to ensure it wasn't labored, watching him for any signs of further stress, and hoping he was finished regurgitating. As I continued my vigil, I scratched behind his ears, rubbing him to make sure he stayed calm and quiet. This went on for about twenty minutes, me watching with bated breath, my sister's pig tugging on my clothing to get my attention and grunting at Roscoe to get up and play with him. But finally, Roscoe's tail began to twitch and swish around, his ears perked up, and after a little longer, he got to his feet. With no signs of dizziness or nausea whatsoever, he strolled over to the water nozzle, took a drink, and then dug his snout into the trough for some dinner.

The day's drama was over. I kept an eye on him for awhile to make sure he kept his feed down, but there was no need. My playful, bright-eyed pig was back. This situation is now laughable as I consider my own folly. There was no real cause for concern, and in the end, everything turned out okay. This is the kind of attitude I try to adopt in my everyday life. Someone's talking behind your back? Shake it off, get it out of your system, and get on with your day. Didn't quite make the grade in a class? Freak out over it, but know that it will pass and eventually, you'll forget you ever ate the wrong beetle.

Wake up everyday with the attitude that today is a great day. Not today is GOING to be a great day. You're awake, you're alive, and for those reasons alone, today is already a GREAT day. If you're like me and you're not a morning person, say it until you believe it. Take the time to cherish the small victories along with the more noticeable ones. Today is a great day. No one can change that but you.

- Shelbs

6 Simple Rules

Happy Thursday! If you're wondering why it's taken me this long to finally put out the post, it's because coming up with interesting and relevant topics is NOT as easy or as fun as you would think it is. It's kind of like trying to write a Facebook status. You want people to like what you have to say, so you have to pick something people will actually read, something you feel is important to your personal life, and consider who will be reading it and how it will affect them. And if you think you don't do this - that you completely exercise your first amendment rights while on the internet - great, but that's not how I operate. I mean, I'm still gonna say what I have to say. There's never any doubt about that!

I promised myself I wouldn't write anything cheesy about the leadership workshop I helped out with yesterday, but admittedly, this post was inspired by that. In the workshop, we asked the kids to think about their morals and how they applied those to leadership. Today I want to share my own version of what I see as my guiding principles - half serious, half Shelbsified.

1. Honesty & integrity. These values are similar, but not the same. Honesty means telling the truth, admitting when you've made a mistake. Integrity means adhering to your values and conducting yourself accordingly.

2. Loyalty. (Why do you think I love dogs so much..?) I have a real problem with people who don't seem to grasp this concept. Simply put, it means staying true to your values, yourself, your family and friends, and especially remembering where you came from (it severely irritates me when students don't say the pledge of allegiance during the announcements at school). This is coming from the girl who doesn't eat Heinz ketchup because of the 2004 presidential election.

3. Responsibility. I am very careful to be held accountable for all my actions, whether they are negative or positive, and I always try to give credit where credit is due. (According to StrengthsFinder2.0, this is my number one strength.)

4. Respect the ice cream. This means no scoop left behind! I hate it when people put the ice cream back in the freezer with maybe two spoonfuls of ice cream left in the carton. Or when you eat straight out of the carton. Get. A. Cup. Please. In my daily life, I make it a priority to practice proper ice cream etiquette. :)

5. Always wear real pants. Primarily, I mean when I'm not working out or chilling at home. This also includes never wearing sweat pants to school - because, seriously, even if I'm feeling uncharacteristically lazy, I ALWAYS find the energy to put on a pair of jeans. And when I say jeans, I mean the kind without ridiculous rips, holes, and tears. I'm perfectly capable of creating those myself, free of charge. But thanks for offering.

6. Don't mess with the Nelson. You can laugh at my political inconsistencies, but the truth is I absolutely love Willie Nelson. If Willie comes on the radio, you don't simply change the station. This is a rule I learned from my dad. And if it means we listen to "On the Road Again" four times in one car trip, so be it!!

Whether your ethics are strictly business and address serious matters such as my first three, or you prefer to take a little creative license with your moral code, make sure you are uncompromising, yet understanding. Stand up for your beliefs in a way that is dignified instead of sanctimonious. Stick to your guns, but be aware of the lives and feelings of others. I think it's safe to say we'd all expect the same in return.

- Shelbs