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The Power of Positives

Diane Prather
Pipi's Pasture

It’s probably safe to say that we all experience days when frustration takes over and we end up feeling kind of “funky.” That’s what happened to me, briefly, a few weeks ago.

Dealing with the summer drought was exasperating, indeed. I had some problems with water pressure early this summer and had to deal with well issues, including a pump and pressure tank, water lines, and even the water table—all of which I don’t understand. I was never out of water, but I probably over-thought everything and became concerned with the “what ifs.” As a result, I tried to use as little water pressure as possible in order to water the yards.

There’s a lot of lawn here at Pipi’s Pasture and lots of trees, and I was using such little water pressure to conserve the well that the job became difficult, and I finally decided to quit watering altogether. Word from others I contacted advised that the grass would go into dormancy but come back. I wasn’t sure about the trees.



The lawn turned brown for the first time ever. I was concerned about the trees so I finally decided to experiment with the water pressure, finding one that seemed to work. In order to not have to run inside and outside the house so many times, I chose a block of time when I didn’t have phone clients, took my paperwork outdoors to the patio, and worked out there, close to the hose.

No matter how hard I tried, the “just watered” spots needed re-watering before I was over both lawns. I couldn’t help but remember another summer drought, some years ago, when I fussed about keeping everything watered. (We even hauled water to the cattle on summer pasture that year.) In order to make me feel a little more at ease, my husband Lyle said, “I don’t think you can run fast enough to keep up with the watering.” He was right.



“Run” was just what I tried to do all summer, and one day I found myself in a brief “funk.” So, in an effort to quiet my negativity, I tried a trick that I had read/heard about (I can’t remember where). The idea is, when feeling negative, to make a list of 5 or 6 positives in your life. So, I tried it.

This is what I wrote:

  1. I was able to get the lawns to come back from brown to green.
  2. There has been enough water to sprinkle the yards and take care of household necessities.
  3. In spite of the drought, I have some pretty flowers to enjoy.
  4. The cows have water.
  5. Most important, my family is healthy and happy.

You know what? It worked! I had completely forgotten how far the lawn had come during the summer. I had been feeling so sorry for myself that I didn’t stop and think about how grateful I was to have water. Most important, I needed to remind myself what means the most of all to me—my family.

The power of positives.

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