Tater's Thoughts

Well, tonight ends one of the best experiences of my 37 years so far. My YCC class will have its wrap up, final dinner and party and say our farewells, until we meet again. The past 10 days have been intense: early mornings, later nights, buses, airplanes, three time zones in three cities, packing plants, feedyards, congressional briefings and visits with our lawmakers and a party at Whitestone Farm. Yes, intense says it best. When I get in my cab tomorrow morning, I'm leaving knowing I've made 53 new friends in the cattle business, and I am already looking forward to seeing them and meeting their families in the near future.

These next thoughts are not mine. They are Tater's. Tater is from Montana, and he's "kinda a big deal." That's how he introduced himself more than a week ago as we made our initial introductions around the NCBA offices in Denver. He's a rounder fella with glasses and mustache and obviously a great sense of humor. I've been trying to set with someone different each bus/airplane ride, and last night on the way home from Whitestone Farm, Tater drew the short straw. But thanks to Tater, I may have gained as much insight in that 45 minutes as I had the previous 10 days.

You see Tater and I talked about life. We talked about love and we talked about careers. And, for a feed salesman/rancher, used-to-be-college-rodeo-coach, Tater had a lot to offer this sometimes lost spirit who appears to have it all together. So, here are a few of the thoughts Tater shared with me.

1. Marry your best friend. I asked Tater how he met his wife, and he told me the story, and told me about their initial long-distance relationship, and how they got to know one another first.

2. Marriage takes a lot of work from both sides, but it is so worth it. He said he knows he's gonna want to sleep when he gets home, but he also knows his wife is gonna want a little help with their three kids since he's been gone so much.

3. Take time for yourself. We were talking about how I have some frequent flier miles, but don't know when or how I'd have time to use them. He said to make time.

4. Climbing the corporate ladder isn't the only thing in life that matters. Tater did this for a while. Traveled the country, lived in the big city, but ultimately knew what was important in life.

So, thanks for these thoughts, Tater. I know my life got a lot richer last night because I rode the bus with you. I wanted to get them written down. I know they impacted me, and I know your heart is as big as that Montana sky.