Ya Better Hang On!
A good friend of mine, Buddy Johnson, invited me to a party called the Rockin Rodeo in the Foundation Room at the House of Blues. It was the 1st annual, and judging from the turnout, it will become quite the tradition. They had the giant boots, the big cactus, hay bales and of course, the mechanical bull. A rodeo party would not be complete without the mechanical bull. It takes a fair amount of balance and strength to ride the bull. You also need the ability to quickly shift your body weight to compensate for the turns. As I was watching people ride, I started thinking about how riding the bull is a lot like a typical day in the life.
You get up in the morning, get dressed and then hop on “the day” not knowing at all which way it will go. Sure, you may have your day planned, but anything can change. Some days you are able to hold on, shift with the bucking and get the body-english just right to where you lean in to the spins and turn-arounds. You make the successful ride, head home, relax then go to bed. Then there are some days where you do not counter the bucking and ya get pitched off right on your butt. You can choose to stay on your butt looking up at the sky wondering what just happened, or you can snicker a little and say is that all you got then get back on for another ride.
There have been plenty of buck-offs where I was dazed and confused and covered in cow poop and dirt, but I knew if I stayed on the ground, I would just get stomped on. I also know there will be more buck-offs. That’s just part of life. I just choose to look at the buck-offs as opportunities to get back on for another ride. It’s just a matter of perspective and flexibility. Maybe that’s why Nora gave me the nickname: Rodeo Rod.
A good friend of mine, Buddy Johnson, invited me to a party called the Rockin Rodeo in the Foundation Room at the House of Blues. It was the 1st annual, and judging from the turnout, it will become quite the tradition. They had the giant boots, the big cactus, hay bales and of course, the mechanical bull. A rodeo party would not be complete without the mechanical bull. It takes a fair amount of balance and strength to ride the bull. You also need the ability to quickly shift your body weight to compensate for the turns. As I was watching people ride, I started thinking about how riding the bull is a lot like a typical day in the life.
You get up in the morning, get dressed and then hop on “the day” not knowing at all which way it will go. Sure, you may have your day planned, but anything can change. Some days you are able to hold on, shift with the bucking and get the body-english just right to where you lean in to the spins and turn-arounds. You make the successful ride, head home, relax then go to bed. Then there are some days where you do not counter the bucking and ya get pitched off right on your butt. You can choose to stay on your butt looking up at the sky wondering what just happened, or you can snicker a little and say is that all you got then get back on for another ride.
There have been plenty of buck-offs where I was dazed and confused and covered in cow poop and dirt, but I knew if I stayed on the ground, I would just get stomped on. I also know there will be more buck-offs. That’s just part of life. I just choose to look at the buck-offs as opportunities to get back on for another ride. It’s just a matter of perspective and flexibility. Maybe that’s why Nora gave me the nickname: Rodeo Rod.
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