You can not chase happiness, you have to find it where you are.
That is easy enough to say. Harder to believe it all the way through. Harder still to put in practice and do.
It is a choice. AHAmoment. We all have a choice in everything.
A choice to cut out all the negative and embrace all that you have.
Live full and whole hearted. Be compassionate. Have empathy. Be vulnerable. Cultivate gratitude and joy. Love your whole self, your authentic self, but love the Lord first.
The rest? The rest will come. In its own time. It is different for every person.
It seems hard, but it is for everyone. I will be honest, it is hard for me.
Be brave.
Walk in love, dear readers, and do not lose heart.
You know how sometimes your everyday work life (or just regular life) can get somewhat monotonous? Where it feels like you are doing the same thing over and over and it kinda drags you down? You have a hard time getting out of that groove when you try to switch gears?
I would not say that my work lately has felt like that, per se, but today it definitely has. Or could have felt that way. Here is the good part, it has been a great day and I will leave work feeling great. I did not even notice the monotony! Let me tell you why.
OK, so last week I was listening to the sons of Haggard. Merle Haggard. That would be Ben, Noel, and Marty Haggard. You should check them out if you have any interest in great music in general, great country music specifically, or their father. It is also really fun to hear Merle in them. Genetics are so cool that way. Anyway, that is what was pushing me through my work week last week and it carried on into yesterday.
Naturally, today I started just listening to Merle. I am by no means new to his music, but listening to him makes my soul smile every time. I can not quite tell you what it is. It is some combination of his life story and the story behind his songs, the talent, the subject matter, the tonality of his voice, his expression when he sings (hey, thanks YouTube), and some unknown factor. He was also seriously funny. Impersonations of other artists was a regular thing at his shows. He mixed up the arrangements with different instruments. Golly, can I just gush over his voice. I also have to confess that the young Merle Haggard was quite the handsome one. Just me? Oh well.
The point of this story is that I found myself smiling and laughing all day today while working. I did not even notice I was doing it until I laughed so hard that I worried I was disturbing people. I am laughing at myself right now just thinking about it. Music often helps me focus while at work and also makes me happy. Duh. (I listen with headphones on as to not get distracted by people walking by, and so I can listen as loud as I want without disturbing others.)
This is my favorite time frame from Merle I think (at least today):
Let us have a quick appreciation for 70’s fashion.
I have bible study this evening. If only I could ride today in this weather, my day would just be that much better!
What do y’all like to do to keep your smile and joy through the monotony?
Busy day/week.month here at work. How did it get to be almost the end of January? I have had a nasty upper respiratory something or other since Thursday. The amount of meds and sleep is astounding. I have an ever growing pile of laundry that needs to be dealt with or I will have nothing to wear. I have slacked on my newly minted good habits.
But.
I got to have brunch with my Aunt and Cousins on Sunday (and dinner on Thursday, did I mention that?) and this (pst…look below)
on Saturday. I rode Chance and Cheetah. Still the best medicine in my book. The ground was surprisingly firm given the amount of rain we got last week. Cheers to growing grass with all the sun this week! Chance was wonderful…Cheetah was not the best. Granted, that can probably be blamed on me and my sick, top-heavy head. My saddle was also slipping back more than normal. She has been so great the past two weeks, so I will take it.
So.
I can not complain. Ernest used to always say that.
I have to be honest with you here really quick. Yesterday was a slight struggle. Hence the lack of post. Sorry about that.
Work has actually been going quite well which I am very happy about. We are busy, I have work to do, and my boss seems positive about the future. I am talking more personally.
For whatever reason, yesterday ended with me in a sour mood. Now that I think of it, I can not remember why. I suppose that is not really the point because it was not any one specific thing or event. The point is that I allowed myself to stay that way. Does anyone else ever feel that way?
I got home from work and did nothing but watch TV. I did not go for a walk or do any kind of exercise. I did not read. I was a big pile of negative. At least I made my bed that morning. Yay. Celebrate the little things! Anyway, I beat myself up about it. I settled to do some personal things on the computer, but the ___ it was not working.
I then eventually decided to stop wallowing and started watching the USEF George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session on the smart TV. That is the best thing about smart TVs! (I watch a lot of videos and read a lot of books/articles on all things horsemanship from all kinds of people in all different disciplines.)
I heard Anne Kursinski (5 time Olympian) say that you must focus as much or more on what you are doing right/well as you are on what you are doing ‘wrong.’ What and why made it work? We are our own worst critics and can have a tendency to beat ourselves down because we know that it is never the horses’ fault. I have also heard sports psychologist, Dr. Jenny R. Susser say the same thing (at least I think it was her) in a video of a Pat Parelli clinic.
Naturally, this applies to more than just success in riding horses. I know that I am my own worst critic in all things and I hold myself to a very high standard. It can really get in my way at times. We can only have ‘control’ over ourselves. We also have control over what our focus is. AHAmoments. To build upon and repeat success, set yourself up for success and focus on what is going right, the positive, more than what is not. Otherwise, you will continue to repeat the negative because that is all you see. Reward yourself. In theory, train yourself. The positive success will come second nature if you allow it.
Today is a new day and I am grateful for it! I will not let yesterday mess up my today.
Now that I have had a chance to thaw out from the crazy Texas freeze, here are a few things on my mind. We are covering all the topics in my AHAmoments. Mostly, things I am grateful for all wrapped up in a weekend recap.
First. My Darcy dog that keeps my spot on the bed warm while I get ready for bed. Just look at that Llew-ball.
Second. Do not forget to thank the people that make your dream work and be grateful for them. For me, being a horse person, my veterinarian and farrier are two of the many keys to what I do. My form of thank you is baked goods. Usually of the cookie variety.
I am blessed to have them on my team because they work with me and my situation. The vet came out on Friday to give all the horses their annual checkups. As I mentioned before, it turned out to be the worst weather as always. It was worse than expected and that is why I do not have any pictures of said visit. 3/5 horses he wanted to float. Given that water is involved in floating a horses teeth, the temperature did not get above freezing, Apache’s advanced age, and that he had some sensitive situations he was monitoring on other farms, we decided that Friday was not the best day for it. He said he would do whatever he needed to do to get the three horses’ teeth floated soon however it worked for me, even if I could not be there, which included not charging me an extra trip charge. I am just so appreciative that they both work with me and our needs. If I had it my way, I would be there every time they came out.
Third. Fire. Confession, I am a slight pyromaniac. I also just really love a good pit fire. Saturday, the wind finally quit blowing in a hurry and the conditions were perfect for fire sitting, even if it was in the 30’s and going down. All the animals were warm and fed. I had the feed trailer loaded and ready for the following morning. I had just pulled a lemon blueberry cake breakfast bread (go make that now and add more blueberries to the bread and more powdered sugar to the glaze) out of the oven. The sky was clear and the fire glorious.
Which brings me to my next point. Four. Music. Good and great music comes in all different forms. On Saturday evening with fire and cocktail, these two songs really spoke to me. I hope they speak to you too. Have an open mind and a listen.
Thanks to the man himself, Corey Smith, and his YouTube for the vid.
Fifth. You guessed it. This farm and my horses in which I see God’s unending blessings, beauty, and grace. They clear my mind and vision and carry my troubles away. Not to mention all the great paintings!
Sixth and final for the day. The great Texas weather. What? Yes, you heard that. Great. It may be crazy at times, and yes it was really, really cold. However, as quick as it gets bad, it gets good. Saturday, albeit a weee bit cold, was down right gorgeous. By Sunday, it was perfect riding weather.
Today I am grateful for the above great music to dance in love my way through work, dear readers.
If you had to pick five things you are grateful for today, what would they be?
I may be a day late with my New Year post, but I hope it is not a dollar short. I have missed y’all!
NYE was another rainy day, as was this morning. Photo evidence below of NYE. Luckily, the rain moved on today. Darcy and I had a lovely, sunny walk while listening to sermons after lunch with my Grandparents, Mom, Aunt, and Cousin H to celebrate my mother’s birthday. I am back to my normal working schedule tomorrow and am looking forward to it.
I am excited to hit the ground running…or at least walking and not standing still.
It seems like it was yesterday that we were beginning 2016 with such hope and optimism. Time is funny that way, how it feels so fast. I remember when they began doing the state quarters and thinking how it was going to be SO LONG until they released the Texas quarter in, if my memory serves me, 2005. It still feels weird to me that we are in the 2000s. You would think being 2017 I would be used to it. It feels like it has gone by so quickly. In three years, it will be 2020. I will be 32 in 2020. Woof.
Anyway, I digress. No surprises there. I begin 2017 the same as I began 2016. Full of hope and optimism. Yes, it has been a hard year for a myriad of reasons, but there are always going to be hard and difficult times. The light is that there are even more great and wonderful times (yes, even in 2016). AHAmoment. I am looking forward to those times. I know there are great things in store. That will be my focus. I am going to be open to receive the gifts and allow them to happen.
I said that I was only going to make one resolution this year. I am going to change that. I am going to spend this year focusing on myself and getting myself back on track. Practicing self love. Setting my priorities. Stop making excuses. That is going to be my resolution. Naturally, that in itself involves a few different things. This list will likely change throughout the year, but here is my start:
Read my Bible every day (I am one day away from finishing Genesis. Woohoo! Let us not discuss the days that I have missed since I last spoke of this…)
See the positive
Stop making excuses
Ride more, worry less. Ride at least once a week (as much as I hate to admit this, riding once a week for the past few months has been hard to manage between stuff that just needs to get done, chores, weather, my utter lameness, and, and, and….EXCUSES. It is like it has become a habit and I do not even recognize myself. I never used to miss a ride day before. Don’t judge me, I am trying not to judge myself. Can I go hide under a blanket now?)
Make a schedule with support system for riding Lito so I am not by myself. This is going to be hard, but it is time to move forward with his training. I have to do something.
Exercise on non ride days
Attend at least one clinic
Have at least 6 lessons
Attend at least one show
I think this is harder to admit than my fears. I want to thank you, dear readers, for being here and helping to hold me accountable. I am not perfect and I know I will likely fail some days and weeks, but is there really failure if you grow and learn from it?
I have already done item 1, 3, 4, and 6. Item 2 is next. Tomorrow I am going to start my research for clinics and shows to build my calendar.
What are your resolutions? Are they hard for you to admit? I will help hold you accountable if you need or want it.
Do you ever feel as if you have missed the…whisper? You know, like the memo or the signs? I keep getting this nagging feeling that I missed as the whispers God was sending me. Is He yelling at me now? I think it might feel like yelling. Has it escalated to that because I keep missing the message?
I always saw myself as a person who could see and hear those things. Metaphors and points are not generally lost on me. Now I am not so sure. Has the gentle tapping on my shoulder turned into a bag of flying bricks? What do those bricks look like? All of a sudden, relatively speaking, I feel as if I have turned into a strictly literal person who has missed the message.
How do I know what His path is for me? How narrow is it? I do not think it is too narrow to miss it, but I do not feel like I am doing the right thing with my ‘life’s work.’ That sounds so grand and great. My career. Why can’t I just buckle down and work my way through this? I am a hard worker by nature. Here I do not feel that way. I know the path is more circuitous in nature, rather than straight. Am I just on a really big bend right now? What does He want me to learn in this?
So many questions and feelings right now.
What are your thoughts?
Walk in love. I can only walk right now. One step at a time.
Today is Friyay if you did not know! Now you do. I read day 12. On to day 13. Next week is a short week and middle sister and her hubby are in town!
I am flyin’ solo in the office today. I do not like flyin’ solo in the office. It is too quiet. I am playing Christmas music out loud to compensate though, and I had Christmas coffee this morning! Out my office window I can watch the cold front blow in. I am to head out to the farm with my Darcy pup directly after work. Then on Sunday, I ride Bella the buckskin and do my Thanksgiving grocery shopping. I might even get the Christmas decorations down and ready to put up.
I hope each and every one of you have a great weekend. Enjoy the cold weather if you have it. We will! Get rest and ready for Thanksgiving! Think about what you are grateful for this Thanksgiving.
What are y’all doing to get ready for Thanksgiving? What are you grateful for???
quarters and thinking how it was going to be SO LONG until they released the Texas quarter in, if my memory serves me, 2005. It still feels weird to me that we are in the 2000s. You would think being 2017 I would be used to it. It feels like it has gone by so quickly. In three years, it will be 2020. I will be 32 in 2020. Woof.
riding once a week for the past few months has been hard to manage between stuff that just needs to get done, chores, weather, my utter lameness, and, and, and….EXCUSES. It is like it has become a habit and I do not even recognize myself. I never used to miss a ride day before. Don’t judge me, I am trying not to judge myself. Can I go hide under a blanket now?)
