Don't Forget Your Lasso!

The success of the show, Yellowstone, proves?that millions of Americans still yearn for the great outdoors. For Kevin Costner, it is the Dutton Ranch. The visual beauty of the land and the mountains and the rivers shown in the hit series still resonates with our primal desire to be in touch with nature. Where is your 'ranch'?

Rancho del Cielo

For President Ronald Reagan, it was his Rancho del Cielo.

Rawhide (the secret services code name for Reagan) loved working with his hands, and being outdoors. And, while starring in western movies during his Hollywood years, he developed a love for riding horses. As Reagan put it, “I’ve often said, there’s nothing better for the inside of a man, than the outside of a horse.” ?

Riding was therapeutic for Ronald Reagan. Seven months after the 70-year old?entered George Washington University Hospital?to have a bullet removed from his chest, Ronald Reagan could be seen riding horseback at Camp David. But, his true sanctuary was Rancho del Cielo.

He?called it his "Cathedral in the Sky" (Rancho del Cielo is Spanish for?Sky's Ranch, or Heaven's Ranch).?It is where he could sort out problems, while riding his favorite seventeen-hands-high?thoroughbred for hours at a time. He could enjoy Mother Nature in all her glory.

He kept his ranch simple, sturdy and rugged.

Riding with Reagan

According to?Secret Servive?Agent John R. Barletta, in his book?Riding With Reagan, “When President Reagan was elected, he became the first modern president who enjoyed horseback riding, and I was tasked with establishing a Secret Service detail on horseback to protect him on his rides.”

Barletta writes:

“He loved physical labor, which was something the press could never quite understand. Every year, the President hosted a party for the traveling press at Barney Clinger’s estate in Santa Barbara. At the party, Sam Donaldson once said,

'Now, Mr. President, I hear you like to go out and trim trees and cut wood.'

‘Yes, yes I do,' the President responded.

Donaldson went on. ‘Now just how big is the ranch?'

‘Six hundred and eighty-eight acres.’

‘Well, Mr. President, at that rate you’ll never be through trimming.’

'I hope not, Sam,’ he said."

Barletta explains in the biography that Reagan's love of the ranch was why their code name for him was?Rawhide.

So, how about you? Is it time to bring out a little bit of the cowboy or cowgirl in you?

Finding Your 'Ranch'

Do you have a passion that gets you outdoors to ride horses, or ski, or mountain bike? Do you enjoy hiking, or boating, or bird-watching, or hunting, or fishing, or walking the beach?

How do you?connect with Mother Nature on a regular basis? Do you breath fresh air, walk the land, and surf the water? Reagan believed that it was energizing to do physical activity outdoors. It made him more fit for when he was at work in the White House. It kept him in a positive frame of mind.

He?wasn’t one to spend vacation time relaxing all day on a beach chair (not that there's anything wrong with that!). He worked hard, broke a sweat, worked with his hands. He loved the physical activity, and it kept him in outstanding physical condition.

The Popularity of Yellowstone

The Dutton Ranch, depicted on Yellowstone, is incredibly popular, because it reunites us with our American instinct for self-reliance, freedom, and exploring nature. Our office skyscrapers and condominium towers are comfortable and hassle free. But when we really need to refresh our soul, there is no substitue for getting out beneath the great big sky.

There are more articles on Reagan's leadership style on my website. But today ... right now ... get intentional and identify your Rancho del Cielo! Then, put it on the calendar. And, don't forget your lasso!