So, why does he ride for the money? Simply put, he doesn’t. He rides for the passion. He rides for the privilege. He rides…for the pride, the pride that comes from strength in character, simple honesty, and a soul full of virtue. Only a man with such passion, privilege, and pride can possess the endangered art of chivalry and an aura of heroism that bucks the contemporary ways of today’s society. To ride and to work for merely money is above the standard of the cowboy.
Why does he rope for short pay? He doesn’t do that either. He works with cattle because he loves the life that comes with it. He gets paid every time he rides over a hill and sees snowcapped mountains stretching as high as heaven. He fills the pockets of his mind with breathtaking and untouched scenery that we’ve only seen in paintings and pictures. His most perplexing question of the day is “How could God create all of this beauty in just six days?” Only the cowboy comes close to knowing the revelry and rest that God enjoyed on that seventh day. Short pay…no sir. The cowboy is a tycoon who doesn’t travel with the herd.
He isn’t getting anywhere, and he’s losing his share. I beg to differ. The cowboy has gotten to places in his life that would take our breath away. He has been exposed to things that we only dream about. Despite his choice to be alone, he knows a love just as great as the love we have for our families. It is a love of the land and being able to revere and enjoy all of the simple pleasure that God put in it.
He sure must be crazy out there. Is he? This man’s only debt is however much money he loses to Cooky and the other cowboys in a card game. He does what he loves everyday. He has the biggest backyard in the world and answers to no man save himself and God. Is the cowboy crazy? I believe he is saner than most.
My husband and I work hard just to get the bills paid and to take care of our children. My husband loves being a mechanic and I am lucky enough to stay at home with our children; however, we save very slowly, and our apartment seems to get smaller each day. Our share of the good life at best is one day having our own back yard big enough for the family to play, and it will be under appreciated it because we’ll be constantly working just to get it paid for.
The cowboy is a successful gentleman who is as intelligent as he is happy. His lifestyle is one of cleverness, courage, and contentment. He is a force that won’t be denied, and he leads the stampede on today’s irreverence for what is good and right. I sometimes close my eyes and picture a man lying underneath the stars and asking to himself out loud, “Why do they ride for their money? Why do they rope for short pay? They ain’t a gettin’ nowhere, and they’re losin’ their share. Man, they all must be crazy out there.”