Things to Think About

First, I would like to thank all of you for being so kind and supportive in your comments about my headshaking post. That inspired me to write today's post, but forgive me if it takes a while to get to the main point.

As I was pondering how best to share that information (about headshaking), I was able to more succinctly define why I write this blog - to myself anyway. On the surface, I write about dressage, equine health, and endurance riding, but really, I have an even narrower focus than that. I realized that really, I write about lessons learned in life. They just happen to be lessons learned while riding, caring for my horses, or cranking out a hundred miles in a single day.

Writing this blog has forced me to become a better human being. Not that I was a lousy example of humanity before, but examining my life experiences with such a powerful magnifying glass has forced me to evaluate my behavior and life choices in a way that I might not have bothered to do before.

Even without this blog I have a strong sense of what is right and wrong (thank, mom!). My blog gives me a place to think about how I respond to life's questions, and I think I am pretty honest about it. Did I quit, try hard enough, act charitably, show grace, demonstrate humility, lose my temper, or treat someone discourteously? 

In nearly every blog post, I realize that I almost always share a lesson learned. As I thumbed back through past blog posts, it seems that I am most often challenged to show humility, grace, and patience. The Divine has his work cut out with me, no doubt about it! 

So when it comes time for me to share something, I wait to talk about it until I am clear about what I learned. Sometimes it's easy - when I review a product, it's usually a simple lesson about need versus want. Did I need that, or was I trying to put on a bandaid on something that hurts? Did I find a product that makes life easier, was I sharing to be helpful, or did I practice making good financial decisions?

Other times, it can be painful to share. My first rides with Christian Schacht come to mind. Telling the whole world that I felt humiliated was a hard thing to do. Speaking about humility, sharing my experiences from the California Dressage Society's Championship show was also difficult. Going there to compete, knowing that I was going to finish near the bottom, challenged me to show some grace and even more humility.

So. What does all of this have to do with headshaking? I guess I just wanted to tell you that you won't hear much about that issue until I've learned the lesson. I don't know what that lesson is yet, but it's starting to reveal itself. 

I do want to write about Izzy though, but the focus will not be how symptomatic he is or isn't. Like last night, we had an awesome ride. He's really starting to listen to my seat and other aids, and he is just fun to ride. He floats around the arena with the most elastic of strides, and he makes me feel so safe. Even when he does baby horse stuff, I never feel any fear while riding him. I am so glad that we found each other!

Have a great weekend. I plan to learn a few things and maybe even have some fun. How about you?