Untangling Life’s Knots: A Cowboy Lesson in Perseverance

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This week brought World Champion Rodeo Athlete (and dear friend) Tyson Durfey back to our house for a few days… so of course Bart and Tyson had to saddle up a horse and head to the Cowboy Warrior Ranch arena for a little roping! How could they not?

While they were out and about with the horses, Bart found a small piece of rope sticking out of the mud. It was all tied up in knots and would normally be headed for the garbage bin. But something struck Bart about this rope and he felt compelled to pick it up and get the knots out of it. Why? No idea! But he wasn’t willing to just pick it up and throw it away. 

He brought it into the house and started working on it, and it was just as stubborn as he is. He worked at it and worked at it (even though we may have been laughing at him a little bit) and finally the rope started to give with just a little more effort and a different tool (side note: the right tool makes all the difference… in business and in day-to-day life!). 

Once the rope was all untangled, Tyson picked it up and went to work on it. He shared with us that his first paying gig was tying rope into horn knots - some guy paid him about $20 to make 7 of them. 

By the time Tyson was done working his magic, a perfectly good, strong horn knot was created and will now be used. Bart has been beaming about it ever since and is so happy to use it. He keeps picking it up, saying things like… “This little piece of rope has so many parallels to life for me…”

How often do we look at our own lives—the mistakes, the mess, the struggles—and see nothing but a pile of garbage? Yet, with effort, perspective, and the right tools, those very “knots” can be untangled and turned into something strong, useful, and even beautiful.

The lesson? Never underestimate the value of what feels broken or discarded—whether it’s a piece of rope or a piece of yourself. There’s treasure to be found in the effort to untangle life’s knots.

Food for thought!

The Power of Intentional Encouragement!

Every person has a little sign around their neck that says, “Make me feel important” - and how cool is it when someone takes the time to do just that? It’s amazing how a small effort to acknowledge someone’s passions can have such a big impact.

Xander had a band concert while Tyson was in town. Tyson had had a long day and these band concerts are a good hour and a half long - plus we wait about an hour for them to start because Xander has to be there an hour early and we live so far from the school it would take us about 40 minutes to drive home and back. 

Tyson could have easily stayed at our house and rested up for the night, but instead he loaded up with us and headed to the band concert to cheer Xander on. He hyped him up and told him how cool it was that he was in band and that he was so excited to go hear him on his “game day.” After the concert he made sure Xander knew how good it was and how much he enjoyed the show… and how playing an instrument was something he could never do. 

As parents, we support and cheer Xander on constantly… but watching Tyson cheer Xander on reminded us of the power of intentional encouragement—not just showing up, but playing full out for the people in our lives. It doesn’t take much to listen, to hype someone up, or to celebrate their efforts. But for the person receiving it, it can mean the world.

This week, let’s take a moment to recognize someone in our lives. Whether it’s a friend, a child, or even a stranger, find a way to cheer them on in what they care about most. You never know the ripple effect your encouragement could have.

Let’s keep creating those meaningful, energetic exchanges—because lifting others up is one of the greatest ways to play full out!

Here’s to celebrating the passions of those around us!

Life Updates:

• This last weekend we decided to mix it up a little bit and head to an AirBnb close to our hometown! We found a brand new penthouse suite listed and it did not disappoint! The elevator opened right into our suite, and it was off-the-charts cool. From pin ball machines, a pool table, a foosball table, a sauna, a full kitchen… you get the gist… it was EPIC. We stayed a night there by ourselves for some fun, and then brought Xander and a friend back the next night. We also went out to dinner with some friends and went out dancing! The next night we hit the Nutcracker. It was such a fun getaway - but not too far away!

• A fellow entrepreneur and friend of ours, Kristin Williams, showed up on Monday for a visit! She is a master strategist when it comes to putting on live or virtual events. Kristin hails from South Carolina and we had a great visit and did some serious brainstorming and masterminding at the same time. Her first night in town we headed up to Mountain River Ranch (where we hold our I Do Epic LIVE events) and went on a horse drawn wagon ride through some beautiful Christmas lights. Then we headed in for a prime rib dinner and some entertainment by some of the best fiddlers and bluegrass players around.

• Kristen left Wednesday around noon and Tyson Durfey showed up! As mentioned, Bart and Tyson did a little roping, we attended Xander’s Christmas Band Concert, and just spent some good time talking and laughing.

• We have a virtual Christmas party happening in our I Do Epic groups this Monday - some of our people will be playing some music and just having a great ‘ole get together of Christmas cheer!

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