{"id":2527,"date":"2018-06-30T15:43:42","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T15:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/?p=2527"},"modified":"2018-06-30T15:43:42","modified_gmt":"2018-06-30T15:43:42","slug":"classic-post-the-fence-that-me-and-shorty-built","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/?p=2527","title":{"rendered":"Classic Post: The Fence That Me And Shorty Built"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,<\/span> since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
\n– Colossians 3:23 – 24 (NIV)
\n<\/span><\/h4>\n

Here’s a trip back to the poetry corner. \u00a0If you’re discouraged about the kind of work that’s available to you currently, you might find this helpful. \u00a0Here’s cowboy poet Red Steagall:<\/p>\n

\"Barb<\/a>

Shorty was here<\/p><\/div>\n

The Fence That Me and Shorty Built<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

We\u2019d picked up all the fencing tools
\nAnd staples off the road
\nAn extra roll of \u201cbob\u201d wire
\nWas the last thing left to load<\/p>\n

I drew a sleeve across my face
\nTo wipe away the dirt
\nThe young man who was helping me
\nWas tuckin\u2019 in his shirt<\/p>\n

I turned around to him and said,
\n\u201cThis fence is finally done
\nWith five new strands of \u2018bob\u2019 wire
\nShinin\u2019 proudly in the sun<\/p>\n

The wire is runnin\u2019 straight and tight
\nWith every post in line
\nThe kinda job you\u2019re proud of
\nOne that stands the test of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The kid was not impressed at all
\nHe stared off into space
\nReminded me of years ago
\nAnother time and place<\/p>\n

When I called myself a cowboy
\nI was full of buck and bawl
\nI didn\u2019t think my hands would fit
\nPost augers and a maul<\/p>\n

They sent me out with Shorty
\nAnd the ranch fence building crew
\nWell, I was quite insulted
\nAnd before the day was through<\/p>\n

I let him know that I\u2019m a cowboy
\nThis ain\u2019t what I do
\nI ain\u2019t no dadgummed nester
\nI hired out to buckaroo<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cWe\u2019ll talk about that son
\nWhen we get in tonight
\nRight now you pick them augers up
\nIt\u2019s either that or fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boy I was diggin\u2019 post holes
\nFaster than a Georgia mole
\nBut if a rock got in my way
\nWell I simply moved the hole<\/p>\n

So when the cowboys set the posts
\nThe line went in and out
\nOld Shorty\u2019s face got fiery red
\nAnd I can hear him shout<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody but a fool would build
\nA fence that isn\u2019t straight
\nI got no use for someone who ain\u2019t
\nPullin\u2019 his own weight.\u201d<\/div>\n
\n

I thought for sure he\u2019d hit me
\nGlad he didn\u2019t have a gun
\nI looked around to find a place
\nWhere I could duck and run<\/p>\n

But Shorty walked up to me
\nJust as calm as he could be
\nSaid, \u201cSon, I need to talk to you
\nLet\u2019s find ourselves a tree.\u201d<\/p>\n

He rolled a Bull Durham cigarette
\nAs we sat on the ground
\nHe took himself a puff or two
\nThen slowly looked around<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, I ain\u2019t much on schoolin\u2019
\nDidn\u2019t get too far with that
\nBut there\u2019s a lot of learnin\u2019
\nHidden underneath this hat<\/p>\n

I got it all the hard way
\nEvery bump and bruise and fall
\nNow some of it was easy
\nBut then most weren\u2019t fun a\u2019tall<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But one thing that I always got
\nFrom any job I\u2019ve done
\nIs do the best I can each day
\nAnd try to make it fun<\/p>\n

I know that bustin\u2019 through them rocks
\nAin\u2019t what you like to do
\nBy gettin\u2019 mad you\u2019ve made it tough
\nOn me and the whole crew<\/p>\n

Now you hired on to cowboy
\nAnd you think you\u2019ve got the stuff
\nYou told him you\u2019re a good hand
\nAnd the boss has called your bluff<\/p>\n

So how\u2019s that gonna make you look
\nWhen he comes ridin\u2019 through
\nAnd he asks me who dug the holes
\nand I say it was you<\/p>\n

Now we could let it go like this
\nAnd take the easy route
\nBut doin\u2019 things the easy way
\nAin\u2019t what it\u2019s all about<\/p>\n

The boss expects a job well done
\nFrom every man he\u2019s hired
\nHe\u2019ll let you slide by once or twice
\nThen one day you\u2019ll get fired<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not proud of what you do
\nYou won\u2019t amount to much
\nYou\u2019ll bounce around from job to job
\nJust slightly out of touch<\/p>\n

Come mornin\u2019 let\u2019s redig those holes
\nAnd get that fence in line
\nAnd you and I will save two jobs
\nThose bein\u2019 yours and mine<\/p>\n

And someday you\u2019ll come ridin\u2019 through
\nAnd look across this land
\nAnd see a fence that\u2019s laid out straight
\nAnd know you had a hand<\/p>\n

In something that\u2019s withstood the years
\nThen proud and free from guilt
\nYou\u2019ll smile and say, \u2018Boys that\u2019s the fence
\nThat me and Shorty built\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

– Red Steagall<\/p>\n

Your work is a witness for you or against you. \u00a0Commit to doing your best and you can be proud of what your work says\u00a0about you.<\/p>\n

By the way, if you’d like to hear Red Steagall recite this poem, you can watch it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So how about you?<\/strong> \u00a0How are you remaining engaged and striving to give your best in your current job? Add your comments below.<\/span><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23 – 24 (NIV) Here’s a trip back to the poetry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42,40,67,11,10,41,73,2],"tags":[108,247,248,158,159,249],"class_list":["post-2527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commitment","category-consequence","category-duty","category-excellence","category-integrity","category-legacy","category-motivation","category-work-ethic","tag-authenticity","tag-cowboy","tag-cowboy-poetry","tag-poetry","tag-poetry-corner","tag-red-steagall"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2527"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2529,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527\/revisions\/2529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}