40 to 40 (Gratitude 26)

Several years ago, I hit a slump in my life. To get out of that slump, I decided to learn something totally new, something totally other. I decided to take horseback riding lessons. I had only ever ridden a horse maybe twice in my life. Both times it was while being led around. That hardly counts as riding!

I am grateful that God gave me that idea and that he provided the time and money to be able to do it. (Lessons are not cheap!) I found that I loved everything about riding -- grooming, tacking up, the actual lesson. I even found comfort in the smell of the hay.

I rode the same horse much of the time. Eddie was a faithful partner. I learned more from him than just riding. I learned how to look ahead and past the jumps. I learned that it is always good to have a few carrots on hand as a reward for a job well done. I learned that my mood played out in my body language and impacted Eddie (and probably others around me). I learned not to take myself too seriously when I competed in a local competition and the eight-year-olds could ride circles around me. I learned about life and that you can lose yourself in the depths of a horse's penetrating eye. I learned a lot.

My lesson was once a week, but you could find me visiting Eddie and some of his stall mates 4-5 times a week.