On January 16th’s Word Wednesday I wrote about destiny, and about pushing past emotional barriers. I asked people to pop in here today to discover what small step I had taken towards realizing a dream, a dream I wrote about in January 11th’s post.
Well, I’m happy to report that the day after that post went live, I took a daring step. And Monday this week, with a little help from one of the Moirai, and the owner of a nearby equestrian facility, I revived my love-affair with horses–in the flesh.
How this came to be, is honestly, straight from The Secret’s handbook: put it out in the Universe and let it come to you. In other words, trust the Universe (or Fate) to deliver. So, I did. Sort of.
I actually wrote January 11th’s blog post, on January 8th. I’m trying to write and schedule a number of posts in one go (I’m writing this on Sunday the 13th) to free up the remainder of the next week or two for work on my WIP. After writing, and scheduling the post about my love of horses, I decided I’d better actually do something active towards fulfilling the dream, besides “putting it out there” (though, to be honest, I didn’t expect to find anything as flexible as I was hoping to find). Lo, and behold, as I scanned online horse-related market places, I stumbled across an ad too good to be true posted not but a few days prior; Help Wanted in the form of a Barn Betty.
I had no idea what a Barn Betty was, but the ad clarified: someone a couple of hours a week to clean common areas of the stable, but not the stalls themselves. Hours flexible, in exchange for either part-board, riding lessons, or part-lease. And the facility was located well within the distance I was prepared to travel. Wow.
It took me until Saturday the 12th of January, however, to find the nerve to message the poster, and only because my husband prompted me. My reluctance to reach out centered on my and my husband’s frequent travel schedule, and my unwillingness to inconvenience the facility owner. By the time I messaged, however, the owner had hired a Barn Betty. However, she was willing to maybe make room for one more. What was my horse experience?
Rather than type a FB message listing my experience while the truck was moving (Hubs were out and about) I told her I was an author, and sent her the link to January 11th’s post, along with a note that the post explained better my experience, than I could on FB. She messaged back that she knew me. She’s a writer, too. We’re Twitter friends. We run in the same writing circles. And she was willing to help me get back into the world of horses. How crazy is that?
It’s not crazy.
It’s fate. The Universe delivering a personal request.
The owner and I arranged a time to meet the next day (Sunday the 13th) to discuss how I could help her, and in turn, how she could help me.
We decided that I’ll come out once a week for a couple of hours and tidy the areas she showed me as wanting tidied. When I’m done, I’ll groom a horse or two. She asked if I wanted a part-lease, or riding lessons, and I agreed that ultimately, I would like to get a horse again, but for now, I’m content to start where my dad taught me to start with horses: on the ground.
Horses, like people, need time to get to know someone, and discover whether they can trust them. I need to know the horses, discover their likes and dislikes, quirks and quarrels. That’s a process built on care. For me, that translates to grooming, and talking to the horses, leading them around, offering bits of apple or carrot if their owner is agreeable. It’s a relationship that takes time, and in my opinion, it should not be rushed. The same is true for the facility owner and I.
She’s taking a chance on me. I’m taking a chance on her. Together, we want the same thing: a clean and safe place to nurture a mutual love–horses.
Deborah
**edited January 21 to add: Today I put in my first shift. 2.25 hours of scrubbing and sweeping: the vet area, the indoor riding ring rail, lounge, and bathroom. I was so tired by the time I was through, I didn’t even go outside to talk to the horses. I changed my clothes and headed home for a hot shower, and to wash my barn clothes. I ache all over, but no where more strongly than in my heart. It feels so good to be back on horsey ground.**
We fail far more often by timidity than by over-daring. ~David Grayson
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