Motivation!

The last day I wrote a blog post, I was one day post-op from my arthroscopic knee surgery.  Since then, I've done a lot of healing and resting and a lot of studying both in the books and via the web to learn as much as I can in my time away from horses.  My sutures were removed and my doctor said I'm healing very nicely but I am still not allowed to ride, jog, lift anything too heavy, and a list of other "No-no's."  As B.B. King once said, however, "The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you."  Whereas he was clearly not talking about me being stuck resting instead of riding, I still take this quote to heart, in that the doctor can tell me not to do everything else but he'll never take away my ability to learn and improve.

Sir Francis Bacon also said something that speaks to me now more than ever before: "A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds."  At this time, opportunities to learn about horses and riding seem like they are slim, but I've been thinking hard about what I can do rather than what I can't.  Reading is always possible.  Chores and grooming are possible in small amounts.  Watching horses, studying how they move, finding their natural rhythm without a rider-- I can do that, too.  In fact, It seems to me that there are actually many more "non-riding" learning opportunities than there are in the saddle; had I not needed to take this break, I may have missed them!

Don't despair when things aren't going your way, readers.  Sir Francis and Mr. King think you can do better than that.  Don't give up; don't pout; don't get frustrated in taking a different path to get to where you're going!  Enjoy your life no matter which way the journey takes you, and be cheered that no matter what you do, as long as you are doing something, you are farther along than you were before.