“Keep on getting back on the horse,” she said. I did that, literally, about 4 years ago. I’d taken some riding lessons and was slowly getting more confident. It was a sunny January day and the trainer suggested that we ride outside. I was cantering, learning to take the corners without slowing down, when suddenly a generator started up noisily in the distance and she startled and stopped abruptly in her tracks.
I still remember that moment vividly. I felt myself slipping over her long black mane and head, which was down, pointing at the ground, and the next thing I knew, I was on my back, in the sandy arena, the horse running away in fright, ashamed of its bad behavior. I couldn’t breathe.
The trainer came over and asked me if I was okay. Not really, I shook my head, and she told me to be calm. She was just a girl, and I didn’t know how keeping calm would cure me, but eventually I caught my breathe. With the hand offered, I managed to stand up and assess the damage. Neck – not broken! Legs, arms, all intact. Check! So, when another trainer came back with the horse, I asked them to let me get up on her very tall back once more, wincing in pain and take her slowly around the arena once more. I’d heard, you see, that you always have to get back on the horse.
Afterwards, I got painfully into my car, still trembling. I considered calling my husband to come pick me up but didn’t want to disturb him. I seemed able to drive. When the doctor confirmed, later that afternoon, that my rib was broken, I wasn’t surprised.
“And no,” I said today, “I don’t think I’m a perfectionist, because if I were, then my writing would be perfect.” We smiled at each other as she waved goodbye.
Lessons for today:
- Make a stamp for myself that says, “Well done” and put it on every page I write.
- Take baby steps – small goals that are very achievable.
- When writing is blocked, get back up on that damn horse!
#writing, #coaching, #inspiration, #riding, #lessons, #goals
Sailing on Dry Land - Audrey Weinberg 