After a rodeo is finished, and the announcer wishes us all safe travels and a good night's rest, have you ever stopped to watch the arena? I mean, after the lights go down, the clock stops running, and the final song comes to a close. Have you ever stopped to thank the men and women who swoop in to pick up our salty snacks and soda cans? Just because the show appears to be over, doesn't mean it really is...
As we go home and rest our heads on our pillows each night, we expect to wake up in the morning. We expect that our hearts will beat throughout the night, that our lungs will capture air throughout our unconsciousness in a steady rhythm, expect our brains to tell us when it's time to wake and to wake us early if danger is detected.
photo by : Tova Conner
You would never guess how similar we are to the arena. Once the stands are empty and the lights have gone down, the silence is often interrupted by the steady hum of a tractor engine, or the pawing of the roughstock waiting in their pens for the next performance. The talented, powerful animals that perform with such enthusiasm to excite the crowd, transform to gentle beasts who enjoy their open fields and fresh mountain air. Your favorite rodeo clown rolls his barrel back down the alleyway and washes off his facepaint, calls his wife, and tells his kids goodnight. The bullfighters and contestants hang up their suspenders and equipment while they doctor their wounds and stretch sore muscles, all the while thinking of what they could do to perform better the next night.
The arena may appear to be silent, empty, and less than entertaining compared to the two and a half hours of man vs. beast, and everything in between. But there is a heart that still beats in the well-groomed dirt, there are lungs that still pump the air of excitement to welcome the fans, and there is a mind that directs each of these small details so that the arena will be ready to welcome you back when the sun goes down. So next time you think the show has ended at the rodeo, think again.
there is much to be learned from the deceptive silence
just listen...
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