Cowboys

I just saw Brokeback Mountain last night. A great movie; incredible imagery/cinematography, character development, but a sad story about living a lie. I wouldn't suggest seeing it if you ever have a propensity to feel lonely.

One thing it did *for a few minutes* was to romanticize the cowboy life. At least the working cowboy, not so much the rodeo cowboy. Living off of next to no income, far off in the mountains, working dead end jobs, getting whiskey'ed up & twostepping with barrel-racing cowgirls, living in the moment. Janis Joplin said Freedom is just another word for "nothing left to lose."

I grew up not far from where this is reality for many people. If not for parents who pushed me to go to college; I could be fixing fence, building corrals, moving cattle, tilting my cowboy hat down in front of the campfire, etc.

But then I realized this is not reality.

When I was home to the family farm over thanksgiving, I took this photo of my father moving cattle. Cows follow tractors with hay.

Not a cowboy hat, a horse, a lasso, or a winchester to be seen. Not even a dog.

That being said, I still want a pair of cowboy boots.