Cowboys’ desire to for new ranges, the novelty of new country, has been around long as the profession itself. My husband is no exception, though family has slowed his wandering. We’ve called ten different houses in three different states home in the past twelve years. I enjoy the thrill of exploration that comes with every new territory, but I crave the familiarity of my very own snug bed at night.
Regardless of our location, packing, unpacking, and the slow process of settling in is the same. “I will remember where I put the {coffee pot, warm blankets, important papers},” becomes the most common lie I tell myself. The relative importance of every belonging is considered and reconsidered, before it is packed or not packed. I think I’ve pared our household down to the essentials, until it comes time to unpack them all. At which time, I find myself reassessing the importance of each suddenly superfluous item.
A month has passed since we loaded our worldly belongings into a horse trailer and headed to Wyoming. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave Idaho, we spent the last four years building a life in a lovely community. Despite our contentment, the siren song of change was always audible. The signs began stacking up in favor of moving, we packed ourselves (and our dogs and horses) and returned to a family ranch in Wyoming.
We already know the high grasslands of this landscape, as intimately as we had come to know the sage and canyons of Southern Idaho. Although there is little unknown to explore, returning to this outfit holds the same sense of familiarity and comfort as a favorite pillow. Though we miss our friends and the home we created in Bruneau, our own cattle and horses we’ve raised are here to greet us like old friends.
With every move, I shed excess clothes, kitchenware, and furniture. With every move, we learn more about what we value and ourselves. With every move, we hold more tightly to our friendships and less tightly to our belongings. As difficult as it has become, changing ranges has taught us more about ourselves than staying in bed ever could.
