Lots of talk about how bad 2020 has been. I get it. Lost jobs, wrecked families, storms, and the list goes on. I could add on my list of “gasp… will it ever end?” But I tend to take a different approach to life. I am an optimist with a realist side. Let me explain.
2020 started out with a bang. I can’t remember how many years ago it started (insert humor) but I don’t remember the first 3 months being all so bad! Lynx and I did great at some races. My kid was learning new things. My husband was in a pretty good state of mind and my other horses were doing good too. In fact, Goose and I were riding a lot! I gained new students and the weather was pretty darn good too. Then… March comes along.
When spring break hit, I had plans. Plans to go places with my kid and have some fun! I even bought season passes for the water park for the summer! I was sitting one point away from winning the year for BRAT Barrel Racing and had a wonderful person who blessed me with so much! He helped me to get my business back on track! Heck, I even got my taxes done BEFORE Spring Break! 😱😱 Life was going good! Then… that virus came around and BAM… life changed.
The change happened. I refuse to call it our new normal. But it impacted a lot. This is where being a realist sucks but being and optimist pays off. So let’s start with the reality. Funds were low. Races were canceled. People lost jobs. Kids stayed home for online learning. I will throw in that Lynx injured his right hind leg. It was messy. BUT. Yes I said BUT… WE learned to appreciate what we lost. We learned to be flexible. WE LEARNED TO COMPENSATE for what was lost. Barrel racers changed the way they ran races so we could still go run. Moms and dads worked together to keep their kids in some what of a learning environment. Heck, I think most of us learned to REALLY appreciate teachers!!! We learned how to be resourceful. We learned to be kind and help others. Then… BAM… Riots.
I won’t go into much about Riots except when people are down on their luck, bored and think to much, the tend to over react to everything. The Internet has increased this over the years. Take away a person’s lively hood and they turn to stupid things. I’m not saying that the protests were stupid. I’m saying things got out of hand. Period. I was taught that there is always a right and a wrong way to handle a conflict. We can all guess which way it is going 😐.
What I saw with the Riot stuff is people standing up for themselves. People praying. People actually learning about the CONSTITUTION. 🇺🇸 I saw groups formed to keep livestock owners safe. I saw people helping people.
Moving forward. For me, since everyone was home, I did loose a couple of students but I gained several! I did have my good horse down but I gained Splash! I would have never bought a fourth horse had my mare not slipped her foal. I learned that I can still jump ride and not die or fall off! I learned that I can teach kids in groups! That is so much fun! I learned new ways to work with different styles of learners on horseback! Why? Because I had time. I had time to sit down and make lesson plans. I had time to advertise and talk to a new group of people! I also had help (thank you Tori!). None of this would have come into play had 2020 not happened!
Because of Splash, I won two saddles, a buckle and a bunch of other goodies! Because of Splash, I have a horse to teach kids how to go faster than I will allow on Lynx or Goose. This… this is my positive outlook!
While I was scrolling through all the mess on Facebook, I learned about a new product called Summit. I learned how it works by using it and getting to watch all four of my horses change while on this amazing product. I’m not sure I would have noticed as much if life was “normal”. But with the increase of students, I had the chance to actually see the changes! Let’s not forget that Gabe went from “too lame to ride” back to “lesson horse for the timid”!!!
We only have 4 more months of 2020 and I plan to make the most of it! My son changed schools and is super excited about riding the bus and meeting new friends! I now have three horses to run and four to give lessons. Yes, the hurricanes are horrible but I got to see some folks that I haven’t seen in a hot minute! Oh! And we got some very much needed rain! So let’s pray for those who have had a hard time of it and let’s count our blessings! Don’t forget to count your family and horses (dogs and cats too) twice! I know they have been my sanctuary from all the crazy! The world will keep spinning and if it doesn’t, then we get to meet Jesus (or God or whatever your belief) a little sooner! That is NOT in our control! All that is in OUR control is how we look at life! Be BLESSED!
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