Life now

I just did Yoga on my porch in the rain.

Well obviously I was not in the rain but it is all around me.

I now sit on my porch and write this blog entry.

I often wonder why Yoga and Meditation feel so grounding, insanely relaxing, almost spiritual.

I know I don't often get "deep" in my blogs but I swear this is related to riding.

I also often wonder why riding is not just a sport to me, but a lifestyle.

It may seem (and I am sure it does) so weird to people that do not have horses.

The obsession. The odd way my life and my family's life revolves around these creatures.

It is like yoga, it is like dance, football, golf, karate, painting, singing, music, whatever makes you happy.

It is something that takes you in, makes you forget the shadows.

It forces you to live now.

Isn't that what we are all after, happiness?

Isn't happiness living and truly enjoying the moment? Being a part of something good?

Happiness is a lot of different things to different people and no one should judge, question, or even have a say in someone elses "thing".

If it is good, if it is positive, if it is yours, go for it.

We all have pasts. Choices, circumstances, people, memories that try to come with us, follow us.

Some of those things we bring along by choice because we are not willing to let go. We have had to let go physically of the person, the horse, whatever it may be for us , it would be to hard to let go of the memory.

It is something we keep in ourselves so it can still be with us every day.

Often they are what I think of, as shadows.

You may at this point wonder what the hell I am talking about. I am not really sure myself, but I know this much.....

You can not carry "riding" shadows with you as you ride.

You can not be self critical or over analyze WHILE YOU ARE ACTUALLY IN THE ACT OF RIDING.

When you get off your horse, have at it.

Watch your video, drive home in your truck, call your best horse friend AND PICK IT APART.

Do a little crying, then realize you are a jack ass.

Don't do it in your lesson.

At this point in my blog, I assume most of my students are thinking "is she talking about me?"

"She is so talking about me"

I don't know if I am.....

But I do know I am talking about me.

I had so many little narcissists asking if certain blogs were about them.....

Don't you know by now?

I am talking about it.

All of it.

All of you, but mostly me.

Lets not kid ourselves, mostly me.

Today I walked Beast and Callie for 40 minutes. Then I trotted Beast for 30 minutes.

I forgot my watch so I counted. I swear.

I counted how long it took to trot from one end of the field to the other, then I did it again, then I divided 30 minutes by it.

Then I kept making sure my estimate was correct.

OK you may think LOSER, but it was so relaxing to think of nothing.

I was 100% involved in the task at hand.

Like in my lesson yesterday with Jimmy. When I rode Beast and he said I was not to think. That I was paying him to think. (He also said some other funny things to me)

Well one thing I got from Stephen Bradley is you do exactly what your teacher tells you to do.

I counted to every fence, and looked ahead to the next.

That is why it was perfect.

Riding is a lifestyle for me, and one I am proud of.

I want to live now, look ahead.....but be adaptable at a moments notice.

Things are good right now.

If you have a home to be safe in and company at hand, things are good.