“We don’t retreat, we just reload.”

That statement was made by a woman who has made everyone stop and listen in one circle or another. Her national political debut was in 2008 when she was added to the Republican presidential ticket. Before that she was just Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, wife of a man’s man and mother of five kids.
When the GOP was DOA in November of ’08, the Republicans threw her under the bus and said, “so long Sarah, have a good life.”

By her own choosing she has kept her family in the spotlight not only contending with the lies and slander the media has enjoyed conjuring up about her daughter’s teenage pregnancy and anything else they want to take target practice at, Sarah continues to move forward without missing a beat.
Recently, I just happened to be watching her new show called Sarah Palin’s Alaska. As I listened to her talk and watched how her kids react to her, it was like looking at real life. As transparent as a show like this can be, she and her family opened themselves up so we could catch a glimpse of their lives and how they interact with each other. We saw how much she talks, which seems constant, and where her curiosity leads her. We watched her hit a halibut on the head with a club ... yes, HSUS will have a field day with that ... we watched her pulling in fishing nets with her husband and then watched her scrub the boat deck with a brush while her husband reclined in the back of the boat making comments about her work. (Gloria Steinem, where are you when we need you?)

We listened as she described the pitfalls and frustrations of passing the family fishing business from one generation to the next. With the father, Todd, wanting to continue to micromanage the son, Track, and the son wanting the dad to just go home, it reminded me of the all too familiar family farm scene.
But it was when she was at a shooting range with her husband, Todd and her daughter Bristol that caught my attention. They were shooting trap and Sarah only hit one out of about 25. Todd got up there and hit every one and then Bristol got up to shoot and she missed the first couple and wanted to give up. Sarah walked up to her with a shotgun shell and said, “Bristol, we don’t retreat, we just reload.”

That phrase describes Sarah Palin perfectly. She’s been shot at, drug through the mud, thrown under the bus, criticized, lied about and she has yet to retreat ... she just reloads.

Whether you are on the right or the left, Republican, Democrat or Tea Party; whether you agree with her, disagree with her, think she’s a terrible example of a woman of the new millennium; whether you love her for her fortitude or hate her because she drops her “g’s” while she’s speaking, it really doesn’t matter.
I feel she is a great example of tenacity and determination. Sarah Palin is not perfect and she may be polarizing but those six words have inspired me to keep reloading and to forge ahead. How about you?

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to him in care of this publication.