Who
can stop an 87-year-old farmer? Not me and I’m not even going to try.
I
think it’s in a farmer’s DNA to just figure it out. When something breaks down, they figure it
out. When they run up against an obstacle, they just figure it out. When planting
season is delayed by six weeks, they aren’t happy, but they figure it out and
keep going.
I’m
always amazed at the confidence it takes to look at a problem and take a step
out of bounds on the way to solving the problem. If you were to drive down the road and visit
farm after farm after farm, they might all look the same on the outside, but on
the inside, they all have signs of a man who decided to ‘fix’ a problem or
‘customize’ a piece of equipment.
While
to the everyday farmer, that is just part of their job. But to those on the
outside looking in, it takes a tremendous amount of courage to step up to the
plate and take swing at a 90-mph fastball with a ‘customized’ bat. You not only
have to know how to solve the problem, you have to believe you can do it. I think the belief is where many of us fall
short.
Earlier
this spring my 87-year-old father was told his kidneys were not working and if
he wanted to continue to live, he would have to be on dialysis. While he processed the thought of having to
drive to a facility, be hooked up to a machine three times per week for four
hours a day, he realized he didn’t like that option. So, like any normal
farmer, he started thinking of ways he could ‘customize’ his treatment. He
began looking on the eBay for a dialysis machine that he could buy and put in
his home. And when he found one, he
started a search for a dialysis technician who could come hook him up to the
dialysis machine and supervise his treatment.
When
he told me this, my mouth dropped open and I couldn’t process the thought of an
87-year-old man who would take on such a project. But then I realized, this is
the farmer in him. He sees a problem and figures out a way to solve it. He had no qualms about buying the machine or
the fact that it takes a very learned person to operate it. He just knew he
would have to take that first step and believed that it was possible.
I
want that kind of belief. I want it now
and I still want it when I’m 87 years old, I want to believe that I can get
over an obstacle. I want to believe there is a solution and I want to have the
confidence to get up every morning and take a run at it.
Yes,
I know the One who can solve all problems and can fix anything. But the hope
and belief required to know there is a solution needs to come from us.
My
dad did not buy that dialysis machine, but he did find a solution and will be
having home dialysis so that he can continue to keep his life moving forward.
Afterall, his wife of 62 years depends on him to drive her to the school for
her volunteering obligations, monitor the farming activity, and do the taxes. #NeverWasteAMoment
