Today has been a fresh manure day. It seems like every time I turned around there was a fresh pile. Most of the horses had to leave a pile in their stall just before going outside. One decided to leave a pile in the aisle on his way out. Two more came back into the loafing area to leave their presents. When I turned the TB’s out to free graze, the weather here is so unseasonably warm there is still lots of green grass on the hay field and lower yard area, they left a pile on the driveway and one on the walkway to the south pasture. Then because I’m getting ready to be away for Christmas and was working on a few extras in the barn, the horses took turns coming in to say “hi”, get a drink and leave a pile. I’m not really complaining just observing. I had to keep getting out the pitchfork a lot.
Fresh manure or as we often call it “The Big Stinky” is easy to deal with. It hasn’t been trampled into the bedding or dragged around in the arena or frozen to the concrete. It requires little sifting, it doesn’t require getting out the pickaxe, it doesn’t require me throwing out other things to deal with it, and it is easily flipped onto the wagon for future spreading. All and all, fresh manure is convenient. Yes, it does have a stronger smell than old manure. Yes, it does require trudging back and forth to the tool area for a shovel or pitchfork. Yes, it does interrupt the current task. But, dealing with when it’s fresh is so much easier and quicker.
Life’s’ manure is really very similar. Unfortunately, I often forget to apply the rule of fresh manure to it as often as I do around the farm. An apology is easier to give and receive before an offense has been ground into the fabric of my mind, allowed to become cemented in our relationships, used as the defining event for unrelated relations or carried around until I can’t image setting it down. If I’m really going to embrace the pile, then why not embrace it in all it’s fresh stinky easy to handle freshness? I must remind myself that being interrupted to make sure a relationship is not broken and stays on track is more important then the task of the moment. Trudging back and forth to check in, to show appreciation, to say thank you or I’m sorry is worth the effort. Truth be told, being present enough to experience “The Big Stinky” on a frequent basis is a blessing. Here’s to The Big Stinky. If I smell a little fresher next time we meet, it’s really for the best. It means I just wrapped my arms around a nice fresh pile.
manurepilemusings 