Keams Register

We are careful with the thoughts we have

Because they become

The words we speak.

We are careful with the words we speak

Because they become

The actions we take.

We are careful with the actions we take

Because they become

The life we lead.

We are careful with the life we lead

Because it becomes

The legacy we leave behind.

By DAK RHS 1979

I was recently doing some searches on modern day cowboys, hoping to come across the names of the ranches where my father worked.  A site came up that had nothing to do with my searches but had the intriguing title Cowboy Ethics.  Being the curious sort, I clicked on the link and came to the site maintained by James Owen, a wall street veteran who had written a book about how he felt Wall Street would benefit from the code and ethics of the old American West.  On his site there is a code of Ethics which is exactly like I imagine as a guide for cowboys before and during my father’s time in ranching.  It goes like this:

• Live each day with courage.
• Take pride in your work.
• Always finish what you start.
• Do what needs to be done.
• Be Tough, but fair.
• When you make a promise, keep it.
• Ride for the Brand.
• Talk less and say more.
• Remember that some things aren’t for sale.
• Know where to draw the line.

We don’t have to be cowboys to follow this simple code.  I’m glad I came across it, even if it really doesn’t satisfy my initial search for information.  After visiting this site, I am interested in learning more about why Mr. Owen felt Wall Street would benefit from the Cowboy way.  If you would like to visit his site, click here.

I was watching our family dog today and I came to realize how good she is at a lot of things.  Jasmine came to us as a pup from a local pet store.  She was our “on sale” dog.  She was marked down in price, but she was so cute we didn’t stop to wonder why the pet store put a low price on her.  The same night we took her home, she became very ill and we had to take her to an Emergency Vet.  Well, it seems our new family addition suffered from Parvovirus.  After a lot of medication and care she became well.  Needless to say, our “on sale” dog cost much much more than the marked down price we paid for her.

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‘We the five-fingered beings are related to the four-legged beings, the winged beings, the spiritual beings, Father Sky, Mother Earth, and nature. We are all relatives. We cannot leave our relatives behind.’ Betty Tso, traditional Navajo