Get Back Up On The Horse
For six years, I rode and worked at a horse farm in my hometown. It was within walking distance of my high school, and once I could drive, I would spend many days of the week there after school and on the weekend. As I go about my days in New York, I still hear my instructor’s voice in my head at crucial moments.
“If you don’t get back up right away, you’re going to have a much harder time riding the next time you come to a lesson.”
Kim Davis is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, in any setting, public school, college, anywhere. She is a remarkable riding instructor, but her lessons span beyond the confines of the riding discipline. This idea, to get right back up on the horse as soon as you fall off, applies to all aspects of my life. I have fallen off horses dozens of times, and I’m lucky to have never been seriously injured. And every time, even if tears blurred my vision, I would climb right back up and circle around for another attempt at a jump, or prepare for another canter.
Today should have been my fifth blog post since I started writing again. Instead, it’s my third. I tried to start running everyday after reading Murakami’s memoir, but after three or fours days, I missed a day, and I haven’t gone running since. The moment I lose that initial momentum, if I don’t resolve to restart immediately, the effort grows nearly insurmountable. Somehow though, this never became an issue with riding. After every fall, my excitement to keep riding grew more than it would ever diminish.
So why do I find it so difficult to transfer this concept to other areas of my life? Certainly this ties in to my issues with not practicing. Building the habit to keep going even when sidetracked takes consistent mental focus and a conviction; the goal I set needs to matter enough to keep forging ahead when something, usually myself, throws me off course.
I miss riding dearly. But I am grateful to have Kim’s words echo in my head when I need them. They got me to write this post today, so I can continue what I started, so I can honor my commitment. Here ends post number three on day number five.
See you tomorrow.
