Reasons not to be a Cowboy

I said, “The problem is I don’t drink enough water and I don’t eat right. That pork last night was full of fat, for example. And riding a horse, you never get the cardiovascular exercise you need. I’ve got to think about my health.” Well, you’d a thought I’da put on a dress and high heels the way they laughed and carried on. I said: “I quit. I’m a cowboy no longer. It’s a rotten lonelylife and I’m done with it.” And I jumped on Old Dan, who luckily was right there, and I rode away.

Garrison Keillor, “Lonesome Shorty”, The Book of Guys (London, Boston: Faber and Faber, 1994) 26.

Photo: John Dominis