It's not just about the boots!

Now we are mid-week of Week 5 and the title of this post captures a thought I have been mulling since Sunday morning. Before I get to that, I'd like to say that I had a great time in Nebraska with my family of origin, which included playing with Violet and Vincent (sometimes in a canoe as in the picture and sometimes as a Treehouse waitress), taking a tour of the pasture and new waterline with Mom and Dad on the BushHog, and hanging out with my sisters. Here are a few pictures of a couple of those activities, as well as a "family that was present" shot in the backyard in Doniphan. The weather held pretty well, and we were able to be outside when we wanted, and inside when we wanted, too.

Since it was the long (Memorial Day) weekend in the US we didn't have school on Monday, but we do have class this Saturday, to make up for it. Yesterday, we recalibrated our perspectives on learning -- both personally and professionally in the morning. This included writing a couple of obituaries for ourselves, which was an interesting and useful exercise. In the afternoon, we worked on horsemanship at Rick's place we'll make that day up this Saturday.

Today, the plan was to go to a new ranch, but due to the weather (rainy, cloudy) we were in the classroom in the morning. During this time, we were able to ask questions of Sara and discuss ideas or things that we wanted clarified. This allowed me to continue to mull over the thought I had on Sunday morning, in the shower (TMI?), at Mom and Dad's. What came to me was the fact that when I return to Ontario, I will need to actively seek out clients for horse massage, so that I can have contact with horses, and get my "fix". This occured to me, as even for the 3 days I was in Nebraska, I missed having horse energy nearby! So, when I was talking to Casey about this, I realized that this sojourn to Colorado for 8 weeks of Equine Massage training has started me down a path that I cannot turn away from. I am aware of my enjoyment of life and my work in ways that have not always been familar and/or accessible to me. So, that is why I believe that this time in my life "...Is not just about the boots." (That being said, the boots are pretty darn cool!)

This afternoon we were back at a Dude Ranch where we have frequently worked, although this time, we went to the back pasture and extended invitations to horses that have been "out" all winter and have now been brought in to get ready for the busy summer season. It is still amazing to me that we can walk into the pasture and find horses that will accept our invitations! So, this is some of my classmates walking toward "our "office" -- another additional cool point to the boots!