(Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek)
Soybean State of Mind: Gratitude comes in the silence
November 2, 2026 | Aaron Putze, APR
Why is being grateful so difficult? Scratchy stuff tends to occupy my attention while the good stuff fades into the background.
This reminds me of the story of a farmer who once grew discontent with his property. The lake always needed stocking, the gravel drive needed upkeep, and those cows lumbering through his pasture made feeding and fence repair never ending. What a headache!
Deciding to sell the property, he called a real estate agent to list the farm. A few days later the agent phoned, asking for approval for the ad she intended to place in local papers. She read it to the farmer. It described a lovely farm in an ideal location: quiet and peaceful, contoured with rolling hills, carpeted with soft meadows, nourished by a fresh lake, and blessed with well-bred livestock.
Upon hearing it, the farmer demanded to hear the ad again. Afterwards, he exclaimed, “I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to sell. I’ve been looking for a place like that all my life!”
This tale, shared by Bob Russell in “Money: A User’s Manual,” makes an important point. Life’s frantic pace, the ever-presence of work, appointments, and temptation to focus on what others have distract us from the blessings we have. Put another way, what is good often becomes so routine and invisible.
Taking inventory of our blessings takes effort and intentionality. Too often, the reminder to be grateful comes through tragedy.
Making time for silence
A mentor once asked if I made time for silence. When I said, “not often enough,” he encouraged me to start, using that quiet to take inventory of life—the good and the scratchy, successes and setbacks, and the people who matter.
So I did. For three weeks, I drove to work in silence. The first thing I noticed was that being behind the wheel with the radio turned off made me a much better driver. More importantly, the silence afforded me time to reflect on the many things I’m often too distracted to notice.
That was nearly four years ago. Today, I still drive to work in silence. While I still have work to do in adopting a more grateful mindset (airlines routinely test my patience!), this intentional mindset levels out my daily highs and lows, makes me happier, and helps me give others the benefit of the doubt (yes, even the distracted and inconsiderate motorist!).
Agriculture has challenges. Always has, always will. But when we step back and take stock of where we live, what we do and the people in our lives, the blessings quickly add up.
That farmer’s story reminds me of something one can easily forget. The grass is rarely greener somewhere else; we just need to appreciate the grass beneath our feet.
Thanksgiving is our annual reminder to pause and notice. The greater challenge is carrying that perspective into every day. Making time for silence is a great place to start.
Written by Aaron Putze.
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