Marci Whitehurst

It's a new year! I'm sure we all got a few goodies for Christmas, maybe a new pair of boots or coveralls … maybe a can of tuna fish (don't ask, but yes, it was wrapped).

We've all seen it: A cow sticking her head through the fence to get a bite of that luscious green on the other side, or a horse tilting his head sideways through the rails to munch slightly beyond his reach. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It's true in the pasture; it's true in us.

"Get out of there! Why you little…"

My husband's arms went flailing, and his spurs were moving. "That's not where I want you!" His horse moved fluidly underneath him while my cowboy went to changing the course of a migrant cow. Make that two cows.

My kids are fighting the crud right now – with the sickness here, you'd think we walk around licking doorknobs, light switches and the bottom of our boots. (We don't.) I've made soups, cleaned, disinfected and opened windows. I think it helps.

Recent news articles and talk shows have discussed the issue of upcoming generations being overwhelmed by difficulty or challenge. One thought behind this is that kids these days have it “too easy.”

My husband surprised me.

This August, we stopped to visit with friends. Their dog had a litter of pups about eight weeks earlier. The kids and I had been "working" on my hubby to say yes to a puppy, but he refused. His heart still ached for the last one.