StillWatersIowa: Opportunities Are Perishable

Mark Twain once said that he seldom saw an opportunity until it ceased to be one. Opportunities early on look like an empty railroad track. It's easily possible to cross. Either you just haven't thought about why you need to be on the other side yet or you tell yourself that you can cross any time you want.

Then situations start to come up that look like you might want to hurry if you want to take advantage of the opportunity. Decisions under pressure of a on-coming obstacle can be dangerous.

So many times we wait hoping our opportunity will still be there when and if we get a second chance.

Thomas Edison said often an opportunity is missed because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

In farming I quite often need to set goals and make lists in order to be ready for field work opportunities come warmer weather.

Winston Churchill said that a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity and the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

Our family had the privilege of having lunch with the staff and clients of Progress Industries at Pizza Ranch in Newton this past week. Progress Industries is where my brother Dan stayed before he passed away.

When you are given opportunities to help people you don't want to be too busy to miss them. When God shares with us we are to share with others. Below Mark is helping out after Kurtis's truck broke down with a load of hogs.

I don't know how she does it but Jan always has something for folks for lunch, sometimes a couple, sometimes a dozen. I enjoy the guys talking about their families or raising their kids.

After lunch on rainy cold days I get a kick out of when the guys talk about when they were kids and smile when Becky talks about being raised south of 92, meaning Hickville.