Learn to Laugh

Iowa weather…isn’t it just awesome?!

I mean who doesn’t love having to wear their winter coat in the morning, shorts at lunchtime and mud boots come the afternoon? And this year has been nothing short of crazy. We have had 80-degree heat, thunderstorms, a blizzard, and 40 mph winds, and that was all within the same week!

During one of the wet days a couple of weeks ago, I was feeling the wrath of mother nature while trying to do chores. I was slipping and sliding in the mud while trying to carry buckets to the bunk, and I almost wiped out three times while attempting to water the calves. While it sounds like a fun time, let me ensure you that I was in fact not having fun.

Like other aspects of our lives, timing isn’t always perfect on the farm. During this particularly muddy day, we had to feed round bales. As I finished unwrapping the bale, I turned to walk towards the gateway. My boots squished with every step I took, until my right boot became suctioned into the mud. As tried to stop myself from walking out of my boot, I stomped the other foot down into the mud where it too became stuck. Now, with two stuck boots, I looked up at my neighbor Dan’s tractor. He simply smiled and laughed at me.

Looking down at my boots, I laughed and began to smile. As I wiggled free of the mud and walked to the gate, Dan shouted from the tractor, “I thought I was going to have to use the forks to pull you out back there!” I chuckled and kicked some mud off my boot as I closed the gate behind him. Maybe the mud wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.


We are all put in undesirable situations, but how you respond to these types of situations is the most important part. You can choose to let your misfortune get you down, just like how I was going to let the mud ruin my day or you can choose to laugh through it like Dan did. No matter how sticky the situation is, there is always a reason to laugh and a way to find joy. Strive to make the best out of every situation and enjoy the moment. No matter how bad it looks, you can always find some good. When you get stuck in the muddy ruts of life, it’s important that you learn to laugh!

Laugh Through It,

Mickayla McGill

2019-2020 South Central State Vice President

"2018-2019 State and District Officers sharing a laugh with Mickayla's neighbor Dan"