Day Seven: 7

No pressure today.

My husband and I were talking about the wonderful amount of clicks and likes on yesterday's post, and he, in his generally chipper and supportive way remarked, "Tomorrow's better be a good one."

Sheesh.

So, I'm just letting you now right away. Yesterday was my good one for the week! Ha! Today, I'm working, but taking a break to let my mind wander...and my lunch settle.

I'm lucky, though. I work outside the home two days a week.
TWO.
I can shut my laptop, answer my emails when I want, and get my work done whenever and wherever.

A farmer, particularly a livestock farmer...

not so much.

So that's why today's number is 7 my friends, as in 7 days a week. Whether it's Monday or Sunday, Tuesday or Saturday, Joe's working. There's no weekend. There's no part time. There's not a lot of "leave it for tomorrow." He's on, 7 days a week.

That's hard, people.

That can wear on a person, dear reader.

It can rattle your nerves and suck the life out of you if you're not careful.

Last summer, in early July, we were able to finally take a vacation. A whole week away...on a plane, to another state.

That was HUGE.

There's no weekend get-a-ways, because our cows need to be fed and cared for 7 days a week (I'm not mentioning 24 hours a day, because that's another number for another day!). What is interesting and ultimately frustrating in a livestock operation- I'm coming to understand- is that each day is like the other.

However, I can relate. I was a stay at home mom, full time, for 7 years (hey! look at that!!). Every day was the same. Every. Single. Day.

That can make a person feel like a robot at times.
If that robot was wearing yoga pants or coveralls and dealt in lots of poo (baby or cattle).

This feeling of 7 days a week, on and on and on is difficult on one's psyche. With a week day job, there's an end in sight. Vacation days, sick days, holidays...those are all fun things to look forward to. However, like a parent, Joe is caring for a living, breathing, eating creature. He has to make sure they are where they should be, doing what they should be, and are safe. Like a baby, the cattle don't care that it's Christmas or a Sunday morning that I have to be church early. They want their schedule to be the same. They want their life to look the same every single day.

There are days that I wonder what it would be like to have a husband who didn't have to work every day, 7 days a week. I find myself wistful at times at the families who take outings or long weekends or moms who run races on the weekends without having to worry about getting home in time for chores to be done before fieldwork is completed.

What's that like?

I guess I may have to wait for 7 more years...Jack will be 9, and Anna 15, so I'd have a built-in babysitter for an early run, early church service, Saturday outing.

But, until then, I'll admire my husband's work ethic, and appreciate it 7 days a week.