Link for the Long Riders' Guild added to sidebar

More Sunday Digressions . . .

"The problem with fear," Yin went on, "is that it can be very subtle and sneak up on us quickly. You see, a fear image is always about some outcome we don't want. We fear failing, embarrassing ourselves or our families, losing our freedom or someone we love, or our own lives. The difficult part is that when we begin to feel such fear, it often turns into anger, and we use this anger to martial our forces and fight back against whoever we feel is the threat.

"Whether we are feeling fear or anger, we have to realize that these emotions come from one source: those aspects of our lives we want to hold on to.

"[Since] fear and anger come from being concerned that we are going to lose something, the way to avoid these emotions is to be detached from all outcomes."

* * *

"I did not say not to care," he continued. "I said not to be attached to any particular outcome. What we get in life is always slightly different from what we want anyway. To be detached is to realize that there is always a higher purpose that can be found in any event, in any outcome. We can always find a silver lining, a positive meaning, that we can build on."

The Secret of Shambhala, by James Redfield, published in 1999.

What are you the most afraid of?

I was listening to NPR the other day and the host asked the guest, a well-know successful recording artist, "What are you the most afraid of?" His answer: Failure. I began to think, what am I most afraid of? It isn't failure--I give it the ol' college try without fear. So, what is it?

To be sure, there are many,many things in life of which to be afraid. Pain, death, failure, "fear itself," hmmm. Perhaps there aren't as many different things as I thought. It appears that everything can be categorized under one of these headings.

I think my biggest fear is, not death, but dying with having my life not count for anything. This must be a common fear, witness all of the testamentary endowments. People do try to leave something good behind, and that would come under "fear of death."

Fear of death: pointless
Fear of pain (physical AND emotional): some is unavoidable so fear is pointless. With optional exposure to pain, merely do the equation--balance the possible pain against the possible pleasure/enjoyment/advancement--and make a decision.
Fear of failure: see above, but failure is only painful if you let it be painful.
Fear of fear: your choice.

I can see how a fearless life can lead to a joyful life. Have a good Sunday.

Sunday Digression

The west wind wooed the blushing rose,

And blew her kisses sweet with musk

From dawn of day until the stars

Shone tenderly thro' purple dusk.

The west wind wooed the blushing rose,

And sang to her a heart-song true,

And placed upon her head a crown

Of sunshine's gold begemmed with dew.

The west wind wed the blushing rose,

Embowered there in the leafy nook,

And heaven blessed their first-born fair,

The fragrant and the warm Chinook.

Cow Boy Lyrics, by Robert V. Carr, published 1908

Catching My Breath

From vacation I headed into a full work week--haven't even had time to put all the camping stuff away or do my laundry.

I'm sending one of my horses, who doesn't know enough to do a job, away to training this weekend. I think he's in for a bit of a surprise . . .

He thinks all he is supposed to do is run around and look fancy! Stay tuned to see how it goes.

I will be working with my 3-year old some, this year, and my 4 month old baby boy.

I'm BACK!

"Charity" rode Hope, walk and trot, and he was okay. Going to try the Easy Care fit kit on him today.

"Charity" rode Hope, walk and trot, and he was okay. Going to try the Easy Care fit kit on him today.

Vacation Time!

I'm getting ready to go on a vacation with my nearest and dearest, leaving the little one, and not-so-little one, and the definitely big ones, behind this time. (Boy, it has been a loooong time!)

While on the 3,000 mile trip I'll have a lot of time to read in the car and am taking with me Tom Ivers' "The Fit Racehorse" (I couldn't afford "The Fit Racehorse II) and "Racehorse Owner's Survival Guide." These books are just filled with solid training and injury prevention and rehab information, and the writing style is very personable. I just get lost in the technicalities easily. I believe this is going to be one of those books that I will have to paraphrase, line by line, in order to take it in and understand it.

So, expect to hear from me August 24!

I Like It!

Julie Suhr: "How will you know how far you can go until you have gone too far?"

So far, so good . . .

I'm off to a good start, the 40-minute Pilates workout, and the gym yesterday. I'm doing 2 miles on the treadmill keeping my heartrate at the "fat burning" level for my weight/age. I get it done in about 40 minutes including warm-up and cool-down, usually at an elevation.

Some thoughts on cardio theaters at gyms: I think they get all those flat screen televisions free from the advertisers! Out of the 10 screens, at least half of them are showing a commercial at any one time. And, when I go to work out, one will be showing a food show, 2 will be showing a home improvement type of show, 2 will be showing news and 2 or 3 will be showing psuedo-news, 1 will be a card show or some other game show, finally, if there is a real show on, the sound won't work. It is novel for me, however, since I don't have any television reception where I live and so have not watched television at home for a dozen years.

On the other hand, right now I could ride as a Featherweight only if I did the Lady Godiva thing--naked and bareback! Well, it's a start . . . .

Well, thankfully Hope seems no worse for the "wear." He shows no obvious signs of being tender-footed in the pasture or signs he's been down. I took off the Old Macs and he just walked off. Hmmmm. Will have to discuss this with the farrier.

Uhh Oh----

Well, had my farrier out on Saturday to trim "Hope" and told him to do do a really good job, 'cause Hope was headed to the Tevis this year. Sunday, the horse couldn't stand up on some gravel! He does have very very flat feet, and I guess the trim just put too much pressure on his soles. He usually is a little tender-footed after a trim, but this! I gave him some Bute and strapped on some Old Mac boots on his fronts to give him a little protection. He's getting around fine in the pasture and not laying down, or keeping weight off of one foot, so I'll keep a careful eye on him and discuss it with my farrier. Perhaps he's one of those horses that really needs to be rasped every couple of weeks.

On the brighter side, my endurance "soul sister" visited and we got to go on and on about the Tevis and endurance without anyone else getting bored. I got my "fix" and it should last me awhile. My spouse will be grateful!

101 Years Ago--They Saw It Comin'--A Sunday Digression

Was ridin' down a-past his place,

An' then I thinks I'll 'low

To sort o' pass the time o'day

An' speak a friendly "how."

He's mussin' 'round there in the mud,

A little dam he's got'

He 'lows to make a cacti flat

Into a garden spot.

I says to him the land's no good,

Fer farmin' she don't win,

But all he does is slop around,

An' kind o' funny grin.

I says the land's jes' useful fer

Some cows to raise an' range,

But he jes' grins an' hollers back,

"There's goin' to be a change."

He's mussin' 'round there in the mud,

A little dam he's got;

He 'lows to make a cacti flat

Into a garden spot.

"The Irrigator", from "Cowboy Lyrics" by Robert V. Carr, 1908.

Robinson Flat Tall Pines

The trees at Robinson Flat are tall; sometimes it seems as if my aspirations are as far away as the tops of those trees. Other times, though, my goals appear to be logical conclusions of my life. Those are the times I'm filled with confidence. I think, you ride the Tevis the same way you eat an elephant--one bit at a time (metaphorically speaking, since I'm a vegetarian).

The Journey is the Goal

Bruce Weary's comments about his Tevis completion really resonate with me: "If we set any example through all of this, it should be that, though finishing was very sweet, growth is in the striving, and preparing for and ridingthe Tevis trail is one of the most challenging and rewarding things one can do in this life, on horseback or otherwise."

Truly, the journey is the goal.

If the panties fit . . . wear them!

Well, now it's post-Tevis Tuesday. I touched my Tevis horse yesterday. "Hope" told me he wants to get back on the trail! So, perhaps this week we'll make a trotting start at it! I have to get my teen daughter/training partner on the same page . . . .

It's post-Tevis Monday.

After returning from watching the Tevis, yet again, I am determined to set the 2010 Tevis Cup Ride as my goal. With 364 days to prepare I certainly should be able to get there. There is no reason for failure to at least start--I have a suitable horse, suitable training ride areas nearby, suitable moral support from friends and family, and a flexible work schedule with (just) enough disposable income. So, a list of things which must happen in the next 12 months is what I need now.

I am a goal-setting person who does not enjoy huffing, puffing, and sweating for its own sake. To get me up, I need a goal. And, the only physical activities which seem to provide a greater amount of enjoyment compared with the level of exertion, involve horses. In other words, if horses are not involved, I'd just as soon read a good book. So, I have rather a challenge to get into the kind of physical shape which the Tevis demands. But, without the challenge of the Tevis, I might just sink into a blob eventually. So, perhaps, subconsciously I've chosen such a goal out of recognition that the quality of life in later years depends a great deal on one's physical condition.