Ain’t it the truth.

I think it is natural not wanting to get hurt when you have children.

Sometimes a person starts out thinking they want to be a famous singer, then they spend time on the road and decide they don’t like it, while noticing what they really enjoy is teaching it, or writing it, or playing for family and friends and so the dream changes.

Having kids changes our perception of risk too. Suddenly we feel responsible for everything and don’t want to risk anything that would prevent us from going to work, taking care of them, or worse.

Remember I told you how crazy I was for flying – crazy nuts for it, until I started traveling for work after 9/11 many states away from a 3 year old son. I HATED FLYING and for the first time, it really bothered me.

Probably after my son is off on his own and enjoying his life, I will go back to traveling and my old love of flying.

We need to have breakfast ot lunch.

Hugs,
Cath

Totally makes sense that you would take a break from classes and just go do some fun dancing! (And like you said since people asked well how could you turn them down?).

Danelle, is there perhaps somewhere you could go for a Sat. afternoon, with your family, and ride a horse other than Nikki, or all go ride “as a family” in a scenic location somewhere, just to see how it feels to do it for fun again, without any pressure? Sometimes putting lots of pressure on ourselves about where we want to be saps an activity of the joy.

What did you love about riding as a girl? What can you do now to capture that feeling?

Maybe it even means *not* riding for a bit and just giving your horse lots of TLC.

I’d check your gut on what you could do to make it fun again… find the passion and the joy. That may mean taking the pressure off yourself to be “the best” for a while and just return to what you loved about riding as a kid.

Good luck!!!

Yes, it is.

I think sometimes we get so caught up in improving a skill, that we forget why we wanted to do it in the first place. If you dream of being an accomplished equestrian, I’m thinking it’s because you love riding. Sometimes it can help if we take a break from thinking, “I have to get better”, and just go do whatever it is we love for the joy of it. That isn’t, in general, the way to improve skill, but I do think it can do a lot for our confidence.

I’ve been in a bit of a funk with my dancing, lately. I’ve decided to skip a few classes, and just do the fun part. The last time I went to a dance, I didn’t even feel like dancing. I just thought I’d listen to the music, and watch the dancers. But people asked me (too bad Nikki can’t do that!), and I ended up dancing, and enjoying the dances, too. I’ve spent so much time looking at where I wanted to be, and what I wanted to do, but it took relaxing and enjoying to catch an appreciation of what I actually can do. I’m not ready to face the classes again yet, but I was able to realize that I can enjoy moving with a partner at the level I’m at, and that my skill really has come further than I’d realized while focusing on what I could not yet do.