How about now?

I confess, if there were an Olympic event for procrastinating, I would take the gold.  The OAC might even have to create a platinum medal for the level of excellence I have achieved in putting things off and wasting time.  If you notice the amount of time that passed between blog post #2, and post #3 … you get my drift.

By re-starting this blog, I have become aware of all the little things I put off in the past that don’t take much time, but I told myself I didn’t have the time to do.  Either something else was more important, or I would talk myself into playing around with one distraction or another until I truly didn’t have the time left to take care of these small tasks.  Where did this get me?  Well, I had a killer score in Gardens of Time, and some impressive high scores in Spider Solitaire and Mah Jong, but I also had a chronically dirty kitchen, paperwork that I’d “get to soon”, vacuuming that needed to be done, and so on.

In the spirit of this blog, I am giving this whole concept of getting back to doing what I want to do, and what I need to do NOW … not later when the opportunity has passed, or the task has suddenly morphed into an emergency … but NOW, when I can get the task done easily, calmly, and clear it from my psyche.  Where is this getting me?  Frankly, I’m stunned at how many little things I can take care of that I never managed to get done before … vacuuming up the extra cats-worth of hair on the rug, getting the dishwasher filled or emptied, cleaning the cat box every day, getting those few groceries I meant to pick up, writing emails to my students’ parents in a timely fashion, flossing my teeth … the list goes on.  I used to marvel at people who got tons of things accomplished in one day.  Now I’m gaining insight on how they do it.  If it’s a short task that can easily be completed in a few minutes … JUST DO IT!  (My apologies to Nike for that one.)

I am also applying this to the more daunting tasks.  Instead of putting off a conversation to clear up a misunderstanding in a friendship, I’m making that phone call, sending that email, or finding some way to reach out before what was a simple hiccup in the communication process turns into some weird creature that has a life of its own.  I keep looking to see if what is really important isn’t getting put to the side just to get these little tasks done.  This process is leading me to a whole new awareness of “now” and of the concept of “presence”, and how we have a choice in what we do with each little “now”.

Back in the Saddle of Life

What do you do when you fall off?  You get back into the saddle.

For people who ride, we’ve heard this since the first time we rode, or the first time we fell off.  For those who are new to riding, the theory behind this is that by getting back on the horse immediately, you don’t get the opportunity to develop a mental block about riding.  You can realize that even though you fell off, and may have bruised more than just your ego, you can still ride again and not fall off.  What was a one-time trauma stays a one-time episode, instead of turning into a way of thinking or even a phobia that limits the rest of your life.

What would happen if we took this approach to our entire life?  What if every time we got derailed from our original plan, or things came along that totally blind-sided us, we “got back in the saddle”?  For example, you are putting together the wedding of the century and the location for the reception burns down.  Instead of letting it stop you, you reach out to your community, find a way to find a new location, find a way to work with the people going to the reception … and so on.  As another example, your best friend dies unexpectedly.  You decide to honor that person’s memory by engaging fully in life, rather than decide your life is worthless without them.  In short, we find a way to make what could have stopped us cold become an opportunity to find a new way to make things happen.

What about when we have thought our opportunity has passed?  How many things have we put off, or decided not to try for one seemly excellent reason or another?  Call it your “bucket list”, your “someday I’ll … list” or your wish list, we wind up putting all of these wishes in a bucket, and wait until we’re knocking on Death’s door to get around to it.  We’d like to travel through Europe and finally see those amazing sights we’ve admired from pictures over the years.  We’d like to fly in a hot-air balloon, but we’re not really sure if it’s worth it.  We’re thinking about having kids, but still don’t think we’re ready for it.  We’d love to see if just once, we could hit a fly ball to the outfield fence in Center Field.  Will we realize these hopes and dreams if we let them all go until later?

Getting back in the saddle can be an attitude, a way to tackle life and decide that no matter what life throws at you, you will get back in the saddle and keep on taking on life’s challenges.  It also is an attitude of taking on that challenge NOW, and realizing the new strength and growth you achieve prepares you for your next challenge.

For some people, that will literally be taking riding lessons … either reconnecting with their passion from their youth, or for others it will be starting to take lessons and the challenge of learning a skill they thought unattainable.  For some people, it will be having that conversation with a loved one that allows you to be who you truly are with that person, and gives that loved one the space to truly be themselves with you.  For others it will be making a choice to find a way to express their tallents in a way that isn’t currently being utilized.

How does this speak to you?  How do you see yourself getting Back in the Saddle in your own life?  Please comment and let me know how this applies to you or affects you.

What is a Re-rider?

If you answered “yes” to at least three of these questions, you fit most of the characteristics of a re-rider.  If you answered “yes” to four or more, you are most definitely a re-rider.  Re-riders are adults who rode as children, but due to life circumstances got away from riding and now are either back into riding or desiring to pursue the sport again.

Adults who rode as children have the benefit that they started to learn their skills when they were young, when the body is more natrually flexible, and when we don’t think about things … such as falling might lead to side-effects, like an unexpected vacation from work.  However, as adults, we have the experience and wisdom to truly value our time with our equine friends.  We cherish in a new way how horses can be a haven, a safe harbor in our hectic lives.

If you rode as a child, and are in the position where you currently don’t ride but long to return to the sport, don’t lose hope.  Come back for more posts as we develop a support network for adult riders.

Adult Horseback Riders are People Too!

I teach horseback riding lessons.  When I tell people what I do for a living, a common response I get is, “Oh!  I used to ride as a kid and loved it!  I really miss it.”  Another response I get from adults is, “I’ve always wanted to learn how to ride a horse, but I guess I’m too old to start that.”  I realized (after the umpteenth time I got these responses) that there is a large group of adults who would like to ride horses, but aren’t aware of the resources out there to make it happen.  The common reasons for not riding are that riding is too expensive, all the barns are too far away, and there is never enough time to do it.  While there is some truth to these reasons, I can tell you that there are horseback riding opportunities for almost all budgets, time schedules, and locations.

There is plenty of support for kids and horses. There is 4-H, Pony Club, summer camps … you name it. But as soon as you turn eighteen, the support is harder to find. Many of the riders do not continue without some sort of supportive network.  I am creating a resource to reach this community of adult equestrians and provide support for them to get involved with something they loved.  People will see they can pursue their passion, even though they thought a life with horses was out of reach.

We will create an online blog and Facebook page as a resource for the community to help them find information, stables, instructors, and merchants that will further their equestrian pursuits. The online resources will also be a community outlet for commentary and a forum to share ideas, insights, and their passion about horses. Finally, we will involve the media to help publicize that you’re never too old to embrace your love of horses.

I welcome your ideas and input on how this community can grow.  Would you like to find a way to reconnect with friends you used to ride with when you were younger?  We can develop this community and resource to make those connections happen.  When we all get involved, this becomes a great way for us to connect over our common love of horses.