Reflections... and Wonders....

Driving home from work tonight, the darkness enveloping, the shrill, sharp cold air surrounding my car, but me, within, nicely warm, driving slowly from stoplight to stoplight, I reflected on something I’d heard today. A radio program by a physicist who talked about matter and expanding universes and how math could explain all of life…..

And I thought, I don’t think so. There are huge things in life that my experience convinces me cannot be explained or quantified by math. There was the huge, black devastation I felt some twelve years ago when my mother died. A huge gulf of grief devastated me as I saw and felt for the first time, with a loved one, the bleak horror of death’s permanence. I learned that life held a terrible thing, one that I hadn’t even imagined.

Also, there are great mysteries of wonder that no science can quantify. For me, there are wonders of horses that transcend life’s banalities or life’s horrors. Just this past weekend, I enjoyed the wonder of a horse walking by my side, head down and relaxed, on a loose lead line. My heart warmed and swelled at seeing his trust and willingness to be at my side. The wonder of a powerful horse responding to my slight leg pressure to trot, amazes me. My sweet horse also stood so still and calmly while I intruded upon his dignity to wipe his behind of extra “dirt” (from soft poop), to make him more comfortable. I’d led him to a spot away from the prying eyes of other horses so as not to embarrass him as I did this clean up. Instead of fidgeting or worrying, he stood calmly as I took care of the task at hand, and then I rewarded him with a treat.

They may seem small and inconsequential, but to me, these are wonders- awesome, secret moments with horses that give me treasured gifts of love, trust, gladness, and “being there-ness.” Some of these moments are as quietly thrilling as they are ordinary. These are just some of the wonders I’ve been honored to experience with horses.

Now, reveries over, I’ll turn to a different topic.

Thank you so much to the bloggers who awarded me the Stylish Blogger award. I am very appreciative of everyone who reads my blog. And the thought of winning an award is just amazing to me. So thank you very, very much!

Now, I’ll share seven things you might not know about me.
1. I am the only person in my family to have a horse. I don’t come from a horsey family. I have a sister who rides in a lesson on Saturday so I am not alone in loving horses.

2. I’ve only been riding for about eight years. I’ve been taking lessons since the beginning.

3. Buckshot is my first horse. I am thrilled, and honored to be his person. We take lessons, ride solo, ride in reining clinics, ride on trails and do groundwork.

4. I have been writing a book about my horse experiences and it is ready to start the publishing phase. I’ll probably self-publish it. Buckshot might be famous some day! (I’ve mentioned this to him and he doesn’t seem the least bit impressed! LOL)

5. My other hobbies, for the few hours I’m not at the farm, are reading, cooking and painting. I love to paint horses and dogs mostly.

6. I started painting several years ago after my mother died. I felt a need to paint portraits of her, and so I did. I haven’t had any painting instruction. But it helped me heal after her death.

7. I love coffee, tea, donuts and cinnamon scones. I’ve even developed my own recipe for cinnamon scones! A few years ago, I entered a cooking contest, hoping to win a million dollars to help me get my own horse. I didn’t win. But I still got a horse!

I really enjoy reading a small number of blogs, and many of them have received and deserved multiple awards. So I have scoured the internet to find some new ones to pass this award onto. I apologize that I haven’t found fifteen but I would like to introduce you to these blogs. They are: 1. A Collection of Madcap Escapades, by Dom; 2. Mugwump Chronicles, by Janet; 3. Oh Horsefeathers ; 4. Solitaire Mare; 5. Trail Riding Cowgirl; 6. EquineMine. I hope you visit and enjoy these blogs!