But here I am, back again to raise your hopes that I will be more consistent with my posting. Whatever.
Joey and I have been lazy so far this summer.
Through the first couple of weeks in June, I was pulling out old training articles from my saved Horse Illustrated and Horse & Rider magazines, and we were riding pretty consistently -- every morning before the sun was fully up (and the heat could get us down). I was rereading training techniques on things that Joey and I are less than perfect on like suppleness and response time (for him), and softer, yet firmer cues and more compassion and understanding (for me). Those rides were some of the best we've had yet! Five out of six mornings on most weeks we were perfectly syncronized, and it seemed that neither of us really had a care in the world, though we each gave it our best shot every time we tried to bend a better circle or refine a cue of some kind. It was great!
But reach the middle of June and it brings with it scores of horseflies the size of baby carrots, 100% humidity by 5:00 in the morning, and buckets of grimy sweat from just trying to tack up alone. I just can't bring myself to go out and cinch up that hot, bulky saddle onto my boy, no matter how much he may whinney and run to the gate, obviously wanting to go out and jog around on the trails as much as I do. I know he gets awfully bored in his own fenced acre; but go out to pet him, and your hand comes away with black, sludgy ink all over it. Poor boy. :(
So we've been going on handwalks when the air outside is bearable enough for me (I know, I really am a sissy), grazing along the trail and just enjoying the sweet companionship of being with each other. I love my sweet horse so dearly! Hard to look back and remember that it was everything less than love at first (and second and third. . .) sight for the two of us. We've come a long way on our many, many adventures together. <3
A short random video showing you my boy in "action". ;)
The only other thing that I've been up to is spending all of my spare time on my guitar (which is adding up to quite a few hours, lemme assure you). Have you seen her? Her name is LuLa, and to some she is obnoxiously pink. Ya can't miss her. ;)
The cheapest pretty guitar I could find on Amazon, and with the exceptions of my clingy dog and my blind horse she is my baby. Only started playing last January, but with the help of YouTube, I (and I counted them) have learned and memorized 50+ songs. I was hoping to have reached 100 already, but in due time. (And given, the majority of those learned are Taylor Swift -- it doesn't get much more repetitive than that, folks.) I am proof that anybody -- ANYBODY -- can pick up and learn the guitar. I tried taking a year's worth of lessons once. Good money wasted is how I look at it now. I didn't learn a single thing that I use today; not even the names of the strings. I came away with sore fingers and a broken ego, declaring that I would never again pick up a guitar because it was stupid and not worth my time. For a long time after that I seethed inside at every guitar solo that came on the radio (and there sure are a lot of them).But still, inside, there was a dream. . .
. . .To make a long (and oh, so hilarious) story short (so that I can save it for another day ;) ): I mistakenly bought a bright pink guitar off of Amazon for $50. She arrives, and it's love at first sight. Even though I knew absolutely nothing about guitars. I knew that she was pink, her name was LuLa, and she was now mine.
First song I learned? "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson. The guy on YouTube said it wasn't for beginners. Guess I showed him.
So there ya go: I'm living proof. But not just for people who have that deep longing to play the guitar like a boss when their favorite song comes on the radio. No, if I've learned anything through this experience it's that I shouldn't be afraid to do anything that I dream of doing. Because honestly, I can do anything that God sees fit to bless. And that's the real adventure of life: finding out what those things are.
~Sam
