STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

I remember hearing once a funny story about my grandma Ida who grew up more or less a city girl and when she got married, found herself living the farm life. Ironically, she wasn’t too fond of the farm animals and was even deathly afraid of the horses and cows. Thus, anything that had to do with the animals on the farm she left up to her husband and others to deal with. Then, one day while out walking she saw one of the workhorses choking. With no one nearby to aid her she had to push her pride and fears to the side and act fast. She opened the horses mouth and reached down it’s throat to dislodge the object, saving it’s life.

The comical image of this fearless girl, my grandma, reaching down a horse’s throat has never left my mind. In fact, I think of it often as I encounter my own moments of “why do I have to do this?” All you moms out there should know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about when your kids flush a bucket load of toys down the toilet and you have to fish them all out, or when your small child shows you a rotting tuna sandwich in his closet that he made a week ago. Or how about removing a clogged up vent only to have years worth of dirt and animal remains fall on you.

As moms, with households to manage, we face things on a daily basis that we would just rather not deal with. Now don’t get me wrong, I do pawn off a good share of it onto my dear sweet husband, but as our lives get more complicated with kids, and the “honey-do” lists just get longer, and the hours in the day seem to get shorter, I have to be realistic. If it’s going to get done it’s up to me. So I’m learning to get out the “how-to-manuals” and work gloves, keep my gagging reflexes in check, and just do it.

I guess I’m writing this because it seems as though the “choking horse” moments were ceaseless today, and I’ll be the first to admit there were plenty of pitiful “why me” and “just shoot me now” remarks around my house. But now the day is over….and so is this entry.