Playing With Fire
Keep at anything long enough and things will usually turn out for the better, but sometimes the opposite outcome catches up with you. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back with an example. Working at a plan over a period of time will most generally produce a good outcome, but making a habit of pursuing an activity that involves a certain risk may provide a less than desirable consequence. My Granddad's insistence on riding horses that liked to buck falls into this latter category. When his saddle horse of the moment failed to give him a satisfying jolt in the morning he would run in a new one off the range. Granddad heard of a horse in Oregon that was throwing a lot of riders so, of course, he had to take a trip south. He did ride the horse, but the thrills the nasty one threw at him caused his ears and nose to bleed before the ride was over. Yeah - that sounds like some fun, Back at home one of his real jewels threw a cute little fit and fell in a dry washout with Granddad right in the middle, underneath, mashed and bruised. The details of how he got back to his homestead shack are a little sketchy, but Dad related he laid in bed for three days about like a dog finding a hole to crawl into to let himself heal. One other horse caught Granddad off guard and knocked him unconscious when their heads met. That little romp only caused one broken rib that was scratching on his lung. I guess nobody ever told Granddad that playing with fire might get you burned. But then maybe they did. I'm Jeff Keane.
