Going Against the Grain

I never fully understood what "Going Against the Grain" meant, and I probably will never fully grasp the concept. However, this weekend gave me a new perspective to that saying we've all heard.

I had the fortune of tagging along with my dad and brother-in-law to the Tractor Pull/Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday. I did everything OUTSIDE of my normal way of life, yet everything about the weekend was what made me who I am in a strange sort of way.

My dad is a farmer; he raises tobacco, wheat, and corn, you know, that country kind of stuff. As a young teen, I wasn't always proud to tell my friends that that was what he actually did. Luckily for me, my mom didn't love the farm life either, and as a child, I never lived on a farm or had the daily chores of feeding cows or stripping tobacco. I can remember daddy asking me to help in the fields time and time again, and everytime I'd say no. How I wish I could go back and agree to help out. I couldn't understand as a kid how people could enjoy sitting on tractors and tilling up land. It never made sense to me. My whole family lives out on the farm my grandfather, "Gramps," left them after he died. I didn't really know Gramps, as he died before my 4th birthday, but I knew my daddy wanted to be just like him, and I never understood why.

Farming isn't something anyone can do. It's a hard life, and I've seen the ups and downs of what it brings to a family. The men are on the field at least 12 hours a day, the children are raised to have that same work ethic, and families themselves struggle to make sure that year's crop is just right to bring in the money for the year. It's tough. I cut tobacco one time, and I cannot tell you what a difficult thing it was. The gum in my eyes made the day unbearable, and the blisters on my hands didn't heal for about 6 days. On top of that, it rained the day I was out there, and in most cases, you'd think that would call off the day, but it didn't on the tobacco field. That day made me appreciate my family and most importantly, my dad. I never understood what he did, why he didn't have what my friends and I would have called a "real" job, why he was never at home when I went to bed, how he could choose to sit on a tractor all day and never make much money for it. I guess as kids we are blinded, for what my dad didn't make in money, he made up for in dedication and love to his family through his job.

So when my dad asked me to head up to the Tractor Pull, I hesistated but knew he wanted me to go. I agreed, and although it definitely wasn't something I see myself doing everyday, it was well worth seeing the light in my father's eyes. How excited he was to tell me of each tractor, the way he explained each crop management plan, and the point to which combines are different than regular tractors... I will never forget how happy he was. This was his element... where he feels most at home, and what better way to experience it than with your family.

No, I wasn't comfortable. I had no idea what half of the exhibits were. I didn't know the names of tractors. How much more I could have understood had I been in a school or in an Old Navy. I just knew to look for the John Deere section for I had wore green like I knew my dad would have wanted me to. As I sit listening to my brother-in-law explain the reasoning behind tractor pulls, I couldn't help but realize why I was, for once, proud to be in a stadium full of farm boys who were just like me and my family. Because my daddy is a farmer, I've had all the luxuries I could have ever wanted. Sure, I didn't have a lot of money and I didn't always get what I wanted, but he made sure I got what I needed. This weekend, I became proud to be a Farmer's Daughter, and going against the grain of my daily life in the city sure felt good when I was surrounded in a sea of John Deere Green, and I couldn't help but feel blessed.