Herb Cowan On Self-Inflicted Injuries

I told Herb Cowan (my mentor and large vegetable farmer) about my self-inflicted injury from working out, yesterday. He said, "You have the same problem that many of the young have. You shouldn't confuse the difficulty and strenuous nature of an activity with its benefits and long-term rewards. If a young buck obliterates a rival male, or makes a miraculous escape from a predator, but gets fatally gored or breaks a leg in the process, the does are not impressed. They only care if he's around when it counts." My son then piped in, "How do you know when it counts?" With a twinkle in his eye, Cowan answered,"Usually that's pretty obvious, but when it's not, knowing is what separates the boys from the men."

Loren M. Lambert © September 4, 2012