A Bull Rider’s Life, Part 2 of 2

A Bull Rider’s Life, Part 2 of 2

So, here’s the second part of my interview with Sam Kirkaldie, my friend and business partner who turned 70 in mid October. As you read this, note what was important, where time was spent, and what the key relationships and expectations were. From a system’s perspective, the trajectory of Sam’s life has been simple and profound.

Sam C: How is life different from 60 years ago?

Sam K: People don’t relate to each other as neighbors so much anymore. When I was a child on our farm in Montana, all the neighbors helped each other with harvests. It was a Fall ritual. It was by necessity in most cases; you had to rely on neighbors. Communications were different then: People would pull up in the road beside each other in their trucks and BS because there were no phones. If you had an event coming up, you went to the general store and put up a notice on the bulletin board, or left a note in the neighbor’s mailbox. People spent more time eyeball-to-eyeball than they do now.

Sam C: Describe your life in back country Montana in the 40’s and 50’s

Sam K : Our place was a combination farm/ranch…we raised cattle & horses but also had crops: wheat, barley, oats and alfalfa for hay.  We had pigs, chickens, geese and turkeys plus a large garden to supplement our food needs.  We did get electricity when I was about seven, a 32 volt wind charger which supplied lights and a small refrigerator.  REA came to our place with commercial power when I was in the 7th grade: Remote!  We depended on a battery powered radio. No TV

I went to a one-room school, all 8 grades in the one room, usually with 12 to 24 students.  Our house was a local gathering place (Mom and Dad were social magnets in the community). It was usual to have anywhere from 10 to 40 or even 50 people (mostly aunts, uncles and cousins who also lived in the area) at our house on summer Sundays for potluck and softball.  In the winter, (which in those days were COLD) there were many evenings of cards with neighbors or just our own family members…my brother, two sisters, Mom and Dad and my grandmother Kirkaldie.

We burned wood and coal in 4 different stoves in the house, no running water, no electric heat, no car engine heater to plug in…fairly primitive.  Our main entertainment was gatherings at school,  and holidays when we always had a number of family and friends visiting.  In the summer, we went to the bush tracks and raced our thoroughbred horses and participated in rodeos.  The local county fair was the biggest, most looked forward to…event of the year.  There were also a few pow-wows in the area each year with Indian dances and feasting.

All in all, we lived pretty well and never really knew we were poor.  You learned individual responsibility early as there were always animals depending on your daily care and personal independence came with the territory…we each had our own jobs and chores to do.  I think youngsters today could gain a lot from these kinds of experiences.

Sam C: So, what do you think of being 70?

Sam K: Getting older is liberating.  We have more freedom in our actions and opinions because we find ourselves not caring so much what others think, so long as we’re not hurting anyone.  We can be candid and know our friends will not be offended because they feel the same way and understand.

Sam C: Final thoughts?

Sam K: I want to stress how grateful I am for the opportunities that came my way…to marry a lovely, wonderful woman, have 3 exceptional sons and be able to make a living in the business world…and, to travel relatively extensively.  It has, indeed, been a great ride…and I’m looking forward to the time that remains.  My gratitude for all this and especially the friends I treasure cannot be measured.

So, that’s my partner Sam. A great guy, a supportive business partner, and a good friend.

See that the Kirkaldie family’s ”systems mindset” had to do with maintaining relationships (the routine family get-togethers, etc.), and performing physical system improvements whenever possible (for example, the introduction of electricity: At first, by using a windmill/battery sub-system and then later, via the REA Co-Op grid).

Did Sam and his family systematically proceed through life contemplating the human and mechanical systems around them? Yes! They constructed their systems with care and maintained them precisely, all the while propelled by positive attitudes and deep gratitude.

One more thing. Raw courage can be cultivated, and deliberately sitting oneself on an enraged bull does exactly that. Short of bull riding, what do you do in your own life to flex and strengthen the courage muscle?