Love is a Cattle Field

Remember that old Pat Benatar song “Love is a Battlefield?” I bet you do, and now it’s stuck in your head. You’re welcome. I heard this on my drive to work this morning and immediately thought of my sister, Carmen singing it with the titled she altered as titled above. God, I sure do miss her.

I can remember her belting it out “Heartache to heartache, we stand! Love is a (battlefield) cattle field! Woah Woah Woah Woah…”

Anywho, ain’t that the truth, though? Love is stupid hard. Loving people you like is easy most of the time. I do find myself snapping at the people I love in the mornings. Blame it on not enough sleep or coffee or the fact no one is ever prepared for anything. Where’s my shoes? Anyone seen my backpack? I thought I packed my lunch before bed! And these are all complaints coming from me, I might add.

Love is hard. Because it does take work. And patience. And all the hard things we sometimes find as tedious. Thinking about this makes me think Carmen was on to something…Love is a Cattle Field.

Trying not to step in a big plop of metaphorical poop is a daily struggle. Land mines of doody. Memories. Emotions. People. Work. School. Trying to navigate around all those things while staying sane and kind and polite and all the things we are expected to do. It can be rather exhausting. It’s like in the movies when you see people sit in their car or out in the woods letting out a primal scream like a wild animal. Maybe we should try to do that more often. Of course, try to do it where no one can see or hear you.

I clearly remember a clinical rotation in nursing school where we all kind of had “one of those days” where it felt like everything went wrong. Having our asses handed to us basically from every direction known to man. And some directions I never even knew existed. And I clearly remember one of my fellow nursing students sitting in her car in the parking lot when it was over. I looked over (unbeknownst to her) and I witnessed her gripping the wheel, head tilted back like a lunatic and scream/crying. She was far enough away that I couldn’t hear it, but I could see it clearly. And I thought to myself, “Wow. I bet she really does feel better now.” And I bet she did. Just a brief moment of complete, raw, release of emotion.

All because she was working toward a goal she loved. To become a nurse. Sometimes our goals can seem so far out of reach, and we feel defeated. But you have to decide whether to retreat which is sometimes the right, difficult decision. Other times, we channel that inner strength, deep down inside and keep trying, moving forward.

So, in our daily cattle fields, we need to tread lightly, watching for those landmines or setbacks. It can be your own voice in your head. It can be the words of others. But, remember to deal with those plops of doody the best way you know how. Scoop ’em up and flick them out of the way or find help to navigate around them. Phone a friend, say a prayer, or just let out a big honkin’ scream when you need to find a release from the stress of it all.

“Life is a Cattle Field”–It most certainly can be at times. Other times, it’s beautiful and less smelly. Try to enjoy and take it all in. Those battles in the field don’t last forever.