By MELISSA HART
Truth from the Trenches 

As I write this I’m sitting ringside at the greatest dairy show on Earth, World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. Every day during this show I have the privilege of taking pictures of great cows on colored shavings against a world-renowned backdrop where people fly in from all around the world to see the best of the best dairy cattle.

It’s the "super bowl" of dairy shows. It’s the place where breeders dream of having one good enough to even consider entering her in the show.

While I sit here and work, my mind wanders to things at home. Is everything okay? I should be home working. I wonder if the lawn got mowed.

Do they have enough clean clothes? Did I show them how to use the washer? I wonder if they’ve had any trouble in the barn?

And on and on, and on, it goes. The worry, the anxiety, past trouble from other business trips I’ve taken, haunt me. While I enjoy watching this show unfold, the guilt creeps in and robs me of the present enjoyment.

Does this happen to other moms? Am I the only one? If so, I think we all need to take a deep breath and realize everything will be okay. So much of the weight we live under and the things we worry about never, ever happen.

Anxious worry and stressful concern take over and we learn to operate with a cloud of unnecessary angst.

This kind of mindset robs us of the joy of the present. We are so consumed with thinking about what will go wrong and where we have to be, enjoying the gift of life right there before our eyes eludes us.

While I try to push all the negativity and worry away, it still remains a battle from day to day, moment to moment.

To overcome this kind of thing it takes strength and control of a mind that will take you places you never thought you would go, and keep you there longer than you ever thought you would stay.

Today, take part in a positive experience with another person, with a simple conversation. Today, make the decision to breathe deep, march forward and move through the minutes and hours with confidence, knowing you can’t change the past, you can’t change the future – but you absolutely have control over how you live in the present.

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 her in care of this publication.