Sale Barn Days
As a young girl, I remember looking forward to this day for months. I could hardly sleep the night before because I was afraid I wouldn’t hear him downstairs and would miss him. The images of Santa stashing gifts under the Christmas tree are probably filtering through your mind right now. For good reason too, but the mornings and the man I am reminiscing are the ones when my dad and I were headed to the sale barn.
I would eagerly crawl out of bed and button up my favorite pair of hand-me-down Wranglers. We’d load the cattle in the dark and make the long drive to town. After waiting in line to unload our cattle it was time to head inside. I remember sitting as still as I could so I didn't buy that pen of steers by scratching my nose. The seats were so hard that I would have a numb rear 20 minutes into our day. I listened to my Dad tell "war stories" with his friends for hours on end. Some of these things may not sound too, " Christmas Morning Like" to you but I love the sale barn and everything that goes along with it. Maybe it was the excellent burgers they served, or the catwalk we would stroll to see all the cattle, or my personal favorite was to see if there were any cute cowboys who came with their dads.
Since I have grown up, I still wear men’s Wranglers from time-to-time, and I still frequent the sale yard. As an adult, the tables have turned a bit – I still load in the dark, but now I’m making the trip to the auction alone. I always get myself sale barn burger and I usually make a few friends by the time the our cattle sell. I get the same feeling I did as a little girl attending the sale with my dad, but it wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized what that feeling actually was.
If I could describe the feeling in one word, it would be community. We didn’t know each other at the start of the day, but by the time the auctioneer declared the cattle sold, we were all friends – united in the life of raising beef to feed the world. People were sincerely curious about who you were, where you were from, and how your cattle sold. In today's world, people looking on might just see them as nosey, but I don’t see it that way. I see the ranching industry as one giant community where everyone is watching out for each other and are rooting for one another's success.
Next time the opportunity presents itself, button up your favorite pair of jeans and head to the sale yard nearest you. Be sure to grab a burger and be prepared to make some friends who will ask you all about who you are, where you are from, and what makes you tick. Most of all enjoy that feeling of the ranching community you’ll experience while at the sale barn.
