What Does That Mean?

4/13/2016

The Lay of the Land

By Lyn Messersmith

What Does That Mean?

            I’m a busybody, but then most writers are. People ask where I get ideas for something to write about, and the true answer is eavesdropping. Bits of conversation over heard, a line from a song that gets me started down a rabbit trail of introspection, a news article that makes me shout at the writer, are all inspiration for columnists. I haven’t taken to reading people’s diaries yet, unless you count published journals of pioneer women and historical figures, but I’m addicted to writing by other columnists, and sometimes steal from them. 

Amy Blum is a South Dakota rancher, and self-described “word nerd,” whose columns appear in Cattle Business Weekly. I thank her for putting a name on the affliction that makes some of us reading addicts stop to ruminate on a word out of place, or poorly constructed sentence. I thought it was just a bad habit, a nit-picky quirk that borders on conceit, something I should try to overcome. That is until Amy wrote about our tendency to misuse the word “just.” 

She rightfully maintains that we often use “just” to minimize, escape responsibility, devalue our own accomplishments, or diminish other people’s worth. That one little word speaks volumes about how we see our role in the family, community, or world, and sometimes has devastating consequences. 

Just slowing down at the red light, instead of stopping, might cost a life. “Just this once,” is often used to persuade someone to participate in an action that both parties know is unwise.

Amy’s column focused on the responsibility of folks in agriculture to leave off saying we are

 just ranchers or farmers. Yes, we are outnumbered by urban residents, and their vote carries a lot of 

weight. Yes, many of the pretty people assume we are uneducated hicks that can easily be discounted. Yes, the TV weather folks always stand in front of our section of the country, and never mention us unless a disaster is about to happen. But No, we don’t have to fade quietly into the shadows and accept our assigned status. Changing false perceptions will require stepping forward to prove we matter by acknowledging to ourselves that we have something to offer, and by seizing every opportunity to make a difference.

Sometimes those opportunities are as simple as saying thanks to those who accept leadership roles as school board members, Sunday school teachers, or organizers of a fund raiser. Sometimes it means stepping out to begin a project that could benefit the community. Your neighbor who says she justgoes to the nursing home once a week to read to the residents needs to be told not to negate the fact that she’s helping folks feel worthwhile. A woman who lives in Wyoming mentioned to her priest that it might be appropriate to have a prayer vigil for the people who lost jobs in massive mine layoffs, and was given the charge of organizing it. Be brave about sharing constructive ideas, even if it means you will be put to work.  

Several small town schools in my area now have local beef in their school lunch programs. This is a

 win-win deal that seems to be catching on. The kids receive healthy meals and get to know the ranchers who donate a critter to the project, Ranchers have no better advocates for their product than the kids who come up and thank them, and go back for seconds, and no better incentive to implement best practices in their business. 

 In the process of settling new country, our ancestors decided churches and schools were needed, and assistance should be offered to those whose lives were touched by tragedy, so they got busy. Men hauled material, sawed and hammered; women sewed, cooked, nursed and organized benefits. Nobody sat around whining for someone to come to the rescue. 

This election year, while choosing candidates to support, why not look for someone who encourages participation, rather than promising to fix all the problems for us? Empty storefronts are numerous, jobs are disappearing under the noses of families already stressed and stretched thin, and our world become  s more dangerous and unsettled every day. 

True, you say, but I’m only one person. Listen to yourself. There’s another four letter word—only. If only one bad apple can spoil a barrel, surely only one well determined person can start a trend toward healing. Contrary to what some would have us believe, government can’t, and shouldn’t, solve what the people won’t. 

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