We teach our horses how to give to pressure at an early age. They wear a halter within a month or so of birth, and we begin to gently push and prod, encouraging them to learn how to "give." I've been thinking on the concept of "giving" and how it can be applied to my own life in the same context as it is in the life of my horses. By teaching a horse to give, we cultivate their ability to listen closely, to learn to be soft, and to understand when we ask something of them. We use their very natures, and adapt their language to coincide with our own. When I am on the trail and I ask my horse to take a step sideways to avoid an obstacle, he simply takes two steps away from the pressure of my leg and continues romping down the trail. His day is not ruined, his ear may flick back to me for a moment, before they pierce down the trail once more. The pressure means nothing more to him than, "give," and there shall be release. I am learning to give in my own life.
I have a job that I both enjoy as well as detest. My husband is going back to school for a degree in dentistry which will eventually end up costing us more than my parents home is worth. I am owned by two horses, two dogs, and five chickens. My dog Lucy loves running alongside my bike. I love spending time with my horses. I thought I was stressed out in college, so that I would not have to be in the "real world." I feel bad, because I don't want to work 10 hours a day. I feel as though my proverbial rider, aptly referred to as "life's" trainer just screamed "Leg ON!" and I must either give or resist as a boot snaps me in the rib cage. I want to gnash my teeth. I want to scream at the pressures which have suddenly entered into my good living life. I want to shake my head, plant my feet and say "No no no! Not today!" But where will I end up? At the other end of the arena, with a boot still planted in my side, and an angry woman snarling at me for "acting like a turd today" as she firmly smacks me on the ass with a faded yellow twitch?
I know that when my horse does the same, I persist until I receive a "giving" response. So, I'm learning to give, to step out of the way of the rocks on the trail, and to accept that a bit of give now will reward me with the desired "release" one day down the line. I'm not going to stop riding, or biking, or watching late night movies with my husband. I am going to work harder so that I can enjoy the things in life which make me truly happy, I'm going to give, rock that half pass across the arena, and then canter on to halt. Salute. Breathe. Smile.
It all starts with "give."
