2020 was hard

Hard. Is that how you would sum up 2020, or maybe your life in general?

Parenting is hard. Work is hard. Maintaining friendships is sometimes hard. Volunteering is hard. Marriage is hard. Paying bills is hard. Wearing a mask is hard. Distance learning is hard. We could add a million things to the “hard” or difficult list. Hard is also rewarding, fun and a learning experience.

Sitting at my computer and looking at my laptop, it’s covered with stickers of things that are important to me. From where it’s docked, I always see “FARM HARD.” What if instead of saying something “is hard” we just “do hard?” Farming is hard, yes – but how about we Farm Hard and Ranch Hard. When things downright suck, Pray Hard. Work Hard. Study Hard. Give Hard. Love Hard. Parent Hard. Teach Hard. Yes, it also means sometimes Cry Hard when things get hard. Or for me, Coffee Hard!

Things aren’t always fair or right or give you a sense of accomplishment when you Go Hard, but it matters to someone, and it’s a reflection on your character and what you stand for and believe in. 2020 was hard, but we also went hard. We tackled it head on and it doesn’t matter if you failed or fell a few times, you were present and you gave. You gave something whether it was to your family, your job, your farm/ranch, or maybe to a friend.

If no one has told you lately, well then, let me tell you from the bottom of my heart, I am proud of you. Proud of you for going hard to get to this point, to read this, and to refill your soul. I can’t say what the next 12 months will bring, but we persevere and press on. Have a blessed Christmas, a happy New Year, and Let’s 2021 Hard!

Carie M. Moore is the VP of Towner County Farm Bureau and is VP of Communications for American Agri-Women. She farms near Rocklake, N.D., and personally shares their farm life in “Tractor Rounds and Coffee Grounds"