Little Victories

At the risk of being called the "crazy childless aunt" who hoards cats and calls her horses her "children," I have been working with horses a lot lately. Before this, my time was pretty evenly split between work and…well, work. The weekends would come and I would spend most of it with my husband and dogs, and some of it at school. While I have been diligently working on my 101 in 1,001 list, finding things to do and places to go, my "everyday" life wasn't really filled with anything that I could call a significant hobby, something I looked forward to doing on a regular basis. I've tried running, but that's very seasonal, and not even really my cup of tea. (I really do hate running, I just love what it does for my body.)

Two months ago, I met a woman who needed help with her horses. She'd taken in two new ones, both abused, and had little time to train her own and spend time with these needy ones. So, I started coming over and brushing, walking, riding, and desensitizing (to strange noises or situations) two of her horses. It is amazing. The gratification that I have not been getting from my work (most times it seems that the kids just hate what and how I teach), or my body (that still refuses to get any kind of pregnant), I am finding with these animals. Every time I work or spend time with them, they do something that they didn't do before. Like yesterday, Maverick (a beautiful Appaloosa) stood completely still while I brushed and cleaned him. He's never done that for anyone, his owner said. I did that! My love, care, and attention made a discernable difference! It feels good to have small victories, even if they are equine in nature. I had forgotten how good it feels to accomplish something tangible. I hope everyone has something like this that makes them feel helpful and appreciated. I wish I had found this a year ago…