The Cowboy Theory

I was waiting for a train to pass last winter and the snow on the train tracks was flying up under the wheels.  I usually wouldn't think anything of it, but it looked like a shot from the beginning of a film. 

 

Everyone dreams about their lives being like those in the movies. And although it's cliche, I think that we often don't realize how "cool" our lives truly are...we take what we have for granted.  Several years ago I began living by the theory that my dad created...The Cowboy Theory.

The Story: When my dad was little he used to want to be a cowboy. He dressed like one, played wild games, read all the stories of the west...But then he realized that an actual cowboy may not feel the same way about his own life. He wouldn't necessarily see the "romanticism" of it.  To a cowboy...his life was ordinary.

Our lives may seem plain and simple, but with a keener eye we can see the glory of them. If we begin to look at our lives as something that someone else may dream of, they become much more interesting.  Our lives become like the movies.  Pioneers or people of the future would find our lives fascinating. It's weird, but true. 

When I started practicing this theory I was surprised at how awesome things were that I used to find so boring and normal.  Tiny things excite me now and make me think, "Life is so cool." I find myself these days, "high on life," thrilled by the smallest things imaginable. It keeps me in perspective that what I have is just as good as what those cowboy had.  I just have to remind myself often..."cowboy theory, cowboy theory."