Wednesday, August 31, 2016

A change in perspective

...and just a few days can make a world of difference.  Don't you think?



While checking my blog for comments this morning, I ended up reading through my post.  Oh dear, I really had nothing good to say did I?  Very cranky.  Well, there have been a few changes.  Whew, thankful for that!  But still, pretty amazing how quickly circumstances, and perspective can change.

Movement is your friend.  That's an important concept.  If something isn't working, you have to get up and do something different.  Something!    I'm reminded how very much horsemanship mirrors our lives.  Good is good, regardless of the situation you find yourself in.  Horses - people - it all works the same way.

Anyway, moving along.  It's raining.  It's blissfully cool and I'm wearing jeans and my purpley-flowered tennis shoes.  I'm usually a sandals/flip-flops kind of gal, unless I'm messing with the horses and then hopefully, I have my boots on.  :)  That's another important thing to remember.  Protect thy toes!   Believe it or not, my point here is this:  it's cooler.  A lot cooler, we have overcast skies and clouds.  My heater came on in my car this morning and it feels good.  *collective sigh*

I rode Eags last night.  We didn't accomplish much other than it was a ride and it felt good just to sit on my horse again.  We did some flexing, kind of backing, moving his hindquarters and front step-overs, all that was okay, but... he was wearing his stubborn hat again.  He was rooting, strongly pulling his head down almost to the ground.  I was trying to create that "wall" Joe told be about, where my hands remain fixed on the saddle gullet, and just encourage forward until he tires of putting pressure on himself.  Hoping he'd find that soft spot and relax in that position without me trying to decide it for him, or make him.  My hands always tire before he does.  Good grief, why would he want to do that?  It has to hurt the corners of his mouth, I know it does.  I'm not doing it, but I eventually have to make a change and pull his head up because he gets so heavy on his front that he's likely to trip.  It's not a good feeling.  I think I know what needs to be done, I need to ask for a lot more speeding up when he does that, so he has to pick up his head, get his butt under himself and move.  But I need decent footing to do this safely.  I'm not comfortable with our uneven, weed growing riding areas.  Guess it's time to start hauling him either to an arena or catch a few more trail rides before our wet weather gets here.  He doesn't seem to do it out on the trail.  We need to do something different.  Change is good.

Jess and I are going to Flying M for a trail ride next Thursday.  She'll bring one of her horses and pick us up.  It will be a quickie because the days are so much shorter and it's dark pretty quickly after work now.  But we can do it.  I remember Ray telling us, "do a little bit often, instead of a lot once in a while".  Anything's better than nothing, right?  :)  So if we're lucky by the time we get there, saddle up and get moving, we might have an hour to ride and get home before it's too dark.  Makes it seem more like an adventure.  Later,  I'll trailer to a nearby arena for rides, hoping I can keep up the weekly riding as long as I can, hopefully fall and possibly into winter.  That would be a great plan for us.

*fingers crossed*

We've definitely decided to forego camping this weekend.  Instead, we'll be celebrating my hubby's birthday with Steve and Chris at Helvetia Tavern - they have the most amazing burgers!  My hubby will love it.  And of course, there will be cake.  You just have to have cake on your birthday!  It's his 67th and I can hardly believe that.  He was 32 when I met him, and I was 22...seems like such a long time ago.  I guess it was.   :)

Since I've gained about 10 pounds over the last several months, I've made a new (again) commitment to eating less fat, more fruits and vegetables, and dare I say it?  Less ice cream.  My weakness.  One of anyways.  And definitely moving more.  I've resumed my noon-time walks with the dogs.  I'd been slacking on that.  And...I ordered a set of Yoga cd's where I can start practicing at home.  I even got the most amazing music to play alongside my workout.  I noticed almost immediately when listening that I started relaxing and taking deeper breaths. When I get the cd I'll mention the name in case anyone wants to get a copy.  Supposed to be very helpful with promoting sleep as well.   I'm going to start setting my alarm clock for 15 minutes earlier starting tomorrow.  Then after 3 days, I'll set it back 15 minutes again, until my body is eased into waking up an hour earlier than my usual 7:00. This will be the hardest part for me.  I do love getting up when I want to get up.  And yes, it's a stretch for me to stay focused on anything that requires consistency, but I'm going to do my best.  

Nothing new on the vacation plans.  For now, I just feel better having a little plan of action in place. Like it or not, I'm one of those people who pictures every little thing in my head, and when life doesn't work out that way, I can get a serious blip on my radar...expectations can be dangerous.

Knowing something about yourself - whether you admit to liking it or not, makes it easier to decide how to proceed.  Movement.  Courage.  Motivation.  Whatever you call it, change is never easy.

Some days we put on our rose-colored glasses and view the world from inside our heads, and then sometimes we have to lay the glasses aside and do something, take a chance at becoming better. Step out in faith and try.  Knowing that we'll make mistakes, and that nothing is ever perfect, but make the effort.    Have some try.  Change your perspective and change your world.



"We have to live the dream, not just dream"

I've been spending far too much time inside my own head.

Thankful for the rain this morning, thankful that our horses, dogs, cat and us are all doing okay, thankful that I got to wear jeans this morning, thankful for my morning coffee and so much more...

thankful for my horse who is forcing me to want to be better.








8 comments:

DJan said...

Glad to hear that you've had a change of weather. And a change of heart as well. You sound so much like me... I did start taking a yoga class and love what it's done for me. I saw a woman in the locker room with a yoga CD going through her routine. It looked really good. I need an instructor, though to make sure I'm doing it right. :-)

C-ingspots said...

I'd do better with an instructor, and the class scenario too - but thought this was a place to start.

Linda said...

A little bit every day is SO TRUE! Even if it's just giving them a good ol' massage and some basic stretching & bending. It sure helped me to have Rebecca coming over to ride, but she is on hiatus until after Sept 12th, cry, cry, cry, so I'm on my own. Movement is everything--true. An object in motion stays in motion and an object at rest, stays at rest.

Eags sure sounds like Leah--for whatever reason, he's wanting to take control of the reins. And the feeling that they're heavy in front and might trip--yep.

We have teeth tomorrow and Chiro next week to figure out pain issues, but I think most of hers will be cured by using her body right--losing weight, stretching, toning--the basics.

One thing to remember--whatever he tries with you, he'll also try with the trainer. It has been interesting for me to watch Rebecca with Leah. Leah does the same things, evasions, etc, but I like to watch Rebecca's response. That's the great part about her riding, then me riding, then her riding. I get data/questions/issues and then I get to see Rebecca work through them another way. So, you'll have LOTS to talk about with your trainer next time.

Fun stuff!!!

Grey Horse Matters said...

Glad you're feeling better about things. Moving is good for all of us or we stagnate. Eagle sounds like he's testing you once in a while. I think you're right about getting him to move out to lift his head. That's what I do with Blue and it works. It will be hard to recondition yourself and stick with exercise and eating right, I should know, I never stick with it either! Love ice cream too, it's my downfall.

Denise at Autumn Sky said...

Every day is a new day and even though we'd like to wake up with a positive attitude every single morning, it just isn't human nature. So getting through a funk and recognizing when it's over brings a smile. And cooler temperatures bring a pep to our step. The big fires in CA that were bringing smoke to our skies for the past month are almost out, thanks to our amazing firefighters. And this weekend the temperatures will be around 80. I'm back in the saddle this week and loving it. It doesn't take that much to make me happy and I suspect the same is true for you. Yes, it's all a matter of perspective.
Enjoy the weekend! It's almost my birthday too :-)

aurora said...

There is that photo I love!! I would relive the feeling it evokes, every time I needed some inspiration. I didn't find your previous post "cranky" to me it was more like processing, and thought provoking. Funny, I've been saying similar to that quote you noted "We have to live the dream, not just dream" a lot, especially this late summer. I am done just talking about my dreams...I have moved onto working towards making them happen. Might be slow coming, and that's okay. It's the journey that make them worth living anyways, but they don't randomly happen on there own!

I started practicing yoga with a CD, use caution. I am sure you know the pro's/con's of learning from self practice. There are many many different styles and beliefs. For me it's just as much (or more) a mental release, as it is physical. I need both! Truly hoping you find one to love & develop into your own! Happy Birthday to your hubby!!

C-ingspots said...

Actually Aurora, I know absolutely nothing about yoga, styles or anything else. My doctor has mentioned that it would be beneficial for me and I've heard people say it feels good. I hope it helps my relaxation, flexibility and balance. What pros/cons are you referring to? "Cheers"! Here's to living our dreams!

aurora said...

Sorry I didn't see this sooner Lorie. The biggest concern with self learning any type of exercise is there is no one to help with form. Some CD's are better then others with instruction & progression, but they can't see you. Ideally you take classes in person first, to learn how to do things correctly in order to avoid injury. Not all classes teach you that either, totally depends on the instructor - the good ones do. Either way, it's advisable to start slow. Don't feel like you have to do the entire CD from start to finish. Start with smaller portions & increase gradually. Video's that teach levels and break down moves are best. There is tons of stuff online too. Once you get accustomed to the mindset and poses that you like & benefit your body, self practice is very rewarding. You don't even have to go anywhere to pay to do it!

I could go on forever...I retired from the fitness industry after 25 years (never led yoga tho). Just make sure you listen to your body, if it doesn't feel right - it isn't.