I ran into a friend yesterday, before my solo ride with Tumbleweed, and as we were talking, she said that she is happy to now be "older and wiser" and confident in her horsemanship, and knowledge of her own horse. She rode away on her beautiful boy, and they did, indeed, look like a great partnership.
But it left me wondering, Am I older and wiser?
That question rattled around in my brain all day.
Tweed and I had a great time together. We started at the obstacle course, where he was able to open and close the rope gate for the first time ever. He opens real gates like a PRO, but the rope gate has always freaked him out.
Not yesterday.
Does that make me wiser? Or, does it make him wiser?
Today, the answer finally came to me.
No, I'm not wiser.
Life, and horses, are always knocking me off of whatever perch I think I've ascended to. I am most often as helpless as a baby, and as vulnerable, too.
But I don't let that stop me. In fact, I always feel like I'm starting again.
Starting, and starting, and starting...forever.
Tumbleweed and I did a short ride alone together, and when it was done, I replaced the screensaver on my phone.
We are starting again, again.
New ears. New eyes. New journey.
Great 222 screenshot of your new beautiful boy screen saver!! Altho bittersweet. Starting over is such a part of a life well lived. Especially with horses and even when life is hard.
ReplyDeleteI think you/your relationship with Tumbleweed is smarter. Look at the strides you've made together! Trailering & riding out alone, very impressive!!
Ah yes, the 222, as if, at the moment in life I was ready to symbolize this new path, my dad reached over and said, “you’ve got this.”
DeleteI couldn’t believe my eyes when I was making the wallpaper switch and 222 popped up loud and proud. That’s actually why I took the screenshot, and then sent it to my sister who, and this is crazy, lives two hours away, but had just happened to look down at her phone at the exact same time and saw the 222, then told her husband our dad was sending them a “happy anniversary.” She was shocked/happy to see my text a few minutes later.
“Starting over is part of a life well-lived.”
Those are beautiful words. Thank you.
I disagree. I believe you are wiser. Mostly because you’re aware of how much you don’t know.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Teresa. The awareness of how much I don’t know grows exponentially everyday. If that’s the price of wisdom, it’s worth the cost. ❤️
DeleteI believe the older we get the wiser we get. Sure everyday can still be a learning experience but look how much you've learned over the years and how you are applying it to your life with horses and just life in general. So keep in mind the more you learn the wiser you get. Don't sell yourself short!
ReplyDeletePerhaps, perhaps, and I will think about what you've said here. I'm not sure that getting older makes us wiser, except in the sense that it reveals how much is out of our control, and that we should proceed with great humility. But on the other hand, that is wisdom, and maybe what you mean. That is the wisdom I absolutely aspire to.
DeleteAwww that one hit me in the feels with the screensaver.
ReplyDeleteThat look on Tweed's face at the trailer is pure Beamer.
There is an old saying- we are too soon old and too late wise. It would be nice if there was a more even balance between the two! But wisdom at any age is preferable to ignorance. Wisdom is also an effect of humility- or is that the other way around? Maybe so.
May we all keep learning from horses, those great teachers.