Reach For The Stars

My dreams.

I'm an urban girl. I love the city, and I especially love "my" city - Dallas. It isn't the most scenic or unique locale; but, I've got roots here. I love being in the center of the U.S. - it's easy to travel anywhere. We've got good museums, good hospitals, and good food. And, yes, good shopping.

How did I end up on a ranch with longhorns? All relationships - whether professional and personal - survive or die on your ability to solve issues. When it came to buying a ranch - my husband and I had an issue! He wanted it and I did not!

First I had to really listen to what he wanted. Then I had to rearrange my perception of the situation. I realized this was going to happen and I was either going to be part of the process, or NOT part of the process. Finally we compromised. We found a place close enough to Dallas so that we could be weekend ranchers, still having our urban lives.

And then there's just plain luck involved. We found a place we could afford from someone desperate to sell. It's called Star Ranch.

So, how did I end up with longhorns? I don't even have a dog or cat.

The guy left them there! We inherited 5 longhorns. To prove how little I knew about ranching, we signed the papers at the ranch and fed the 5 longhorns. We returned the next weekend to spend our first night at the ranch. NOW THERE WERE SIX LONGHORNS! We had our first baby! I didn't even know the cow was female, let alone pregnant.

Here's your trivia for the day: all longhorns have, well, long horns. Males and females.

I named our first baby "Bliss". And, that's exactly what this place has become for our family: a place of bliss. A respite from the crazy everyday life we lead. A place where you do more stuff outside and less stuff inside. A place to clear your head and add more to your soul.

What a GREAT solution. We solved our issue by listening, talking, and compromising.

And that makes me lucky, grateful, and blissed out.

Karen, a presentation skills executive coach in Dallas, can be reached at www.karencortellreisman.com