Western Ag Life Magazine - Spring 2020

THE LIFE OF A RANCH WIFE: BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE

So much is different since the last time I was “here”. A new year for us brought more change than we’d experienced in a very long time. With the arrival of new opportunities in a wonderful job for my husband also came a move to another house in another state.

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY KATE SANCHEZ

For the first time in over ten years, we were experiencing a lifestyle outside that of a ranch. As with most new opportunities came fear of the unknown and yet excitement and eagerness to see what would lie before us. No longer does my husband leave at 3am, horse in tow, for spring works. For the first time in a long time, our boots don’t see quite as much use as they once did, but make no mistake, while this is a time where our lives are quite different, it’s serving us. Every day, it’s helping us shape a better future and opening up doors that we never knew were possible.

As with so many major life fluctuations, it’s easy to recognize all of the changes, both small and drastic, that hit at one time. You miss certain things you once took for granted, you praise the people who were part of your journey, yet learn to embrace the excitement in your heart for what a new lifestyle is and how it’s exactly what you may need in that particular moment. I’d say one of the toughest parts of leaving a ranch job is that it’s more than a job, it becomes an entire lifestyle, something that has consumed you for many years and has earned a huge place in your heart and that of your family’s.

But on the other hand, making a change has also been one of the best choices for us. We learned, achieved, and helped build so much in our years on various ranches, all things we will take with us. Now, we’ve stepped out into a world of unknown compared to that of the day-to-day cowboy grind. Are there times when I miss it? Yes. But more than anything, I absolutely know our time spent in those places was the right steppingstone at those exact instances of our lives. They were where we were meant to be in those particular moments.

One thing I’ve learned to embrace during our periods of adjustment, and would urge others to do the same, is simply to be present in your current situation. With change and a shift in certain mindsets, people often do a “180” and turn away from dreams they once chased or goals they were working to achieve. In the wake of a new opportunity, that’s really the last thing you should do, and yet, it happens all that time. But what if instead, you shifted gears? Shifted your entire mindset? What if you searched your heart and found that your purpose is already in front of you? What if the exact things you’re meant to breathe life into, are remarkably already part of what you thought was just day to day monotony? Sometimes, abrupt changes in plans don’t require abundant action, but instead just need us to respond with a full heart and driven attitude. Sometimes life throws you a curveball and sometimes you’re called to step out in faith, into the unknown, because that’s what your heart is telling you to do. Either way, being present in the journey will often times be one of the most fulfilling things you can do for yourself and those around you.

Our thoughts, especially in some of these most trying times we’ve ever faced as a country, need a momentum shift. My goal is to bend my life toward what is suddenly- or long present- at my feet, and work to see the great opportunity that lives where I do. I want to be able to take what we’ve learned and shape it into our future and what is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times of my family’s life. My mindset is now going to change from “what was”, to “this is where I am and these are now my plans”.

I will be grateful. I will be content. I will be joyful. All because my feet are where they are for a very specific reason. I’d encourage everyone today: be where your feet are…after all, no matter the place you are in life, the boots still fit the same.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kate Sanchez is a freelance writer based out of Ruidoso, NM. She and her husband have worked on various ranches across OK and west Texas. They have one horse-loving daughter, who is two. Kate graduated from Eastern NM University in 2009 with a degree in Journalism and minor in Agriculture. She currently writes for a few different publications and enjoys training and showing horses.