A Perfect Day

I just have to write to take my mind off of the things that have happened this evening at work to cause me the utmost anxiety and fear. To start my shift off an undercover cop comes in asking if we had received the wanted poster, we had not, and asked us if anything suspicious has happened, any guests paying with cash, etc. Then later in the evening I get a phone call from a young girl who spoke a million words a minute and to top it off we had a bad connection. I had difficulty understanding her. To make the horrible phone call short, I hung up on her...intentionally. I was not going to waste my time on someone who was just going to swear at me and insult me. I got really nervous after that and since then I cannot get my mind off of "what if" kind of thoughts and scenarios. I won't get into it because the reason I am writing is to take my mind off of it and I am not doing such a hot job so far.

So, yesterday was by far one of the greatest days I have had in quite some time. It was simply marvelous. Our hotel was under budgeted for the month of September and my boss asked if anyone wanted an extra day off. I gladly volunteered my services..wasn't that so good of me? So for my special gift of an extra day off I started the day by riding bikes with the girls to school. Then when Lydia and I got back home we changed all the beds, did dishes, laundry and other various chores. Lydia's favorite part of the chores was helping me pick out the bedding to put on my bed.

After lunch with Kevin, Lydia and I got on our riding boots and headed over to my good friend's in laws' house to help them exercise their horses. Once again, am I not so thoughtful and kind to offer my services?

The day was a bit cooler than usual, and quite cloudy. When we got to the pasture the horses were so excited to see us they actually came to us this time (we usually have to go to them and coax them with a bit of hey). The horses are really beginning to get to know me. Last time I went I took them all a gift (all 10 of them!) CARROTS! I think they will love me forever now. What's funny is that they kept nudging my hands, I think they remembered the carrots. I will have to take them some again next week. I have a favorite horse. His name is Clyde. His is all black and absolutely beautiful. Sadly he won't let anyone ride him anymore. A trainer is coming in a week or so to see if the horse is worth keeping, if he can be reminded of how he is supposed to act when someone is riding him. Clyde was the first horse to come up to me. When I turned my back he started nudging me and nuzzling my hair. He even blew on my neck, which tickled insanely. He was exceptionally affectionate that day. All the horses seemed to be want some lovin'. I tried to pass it around but a couple of them seemed to get jealous and crowded in on me. I was in heaven! To be smothered by horses! What a silly girl I am. I will be sad if they sell Clyde. I wish he would let me ride him. For some reason I am always drawn to the horses with attitude. When I was a young girl I would go visit some cousins who had horses. They had a particular horse named Ginger. I loved that horse. She had attitude and didn't let just anyone ride her. She let me. My uncle even told me that she missed me when I left after a long stay. And then the next time we visited, which was always a long time apart, she would remember me and give me nudges and loves.

So, my friend asked me who I wanted to ride and almost as if Clyde understood he came even closer to me and put his face right in mine, I rubbed his nose and told him he was a silly horse and that if he would just behave I would ride him. So, I reluctantly chose to ride "Fat Jack", that is his nick name, for the life of me I cannot recall his real name. Fat Jack is the biggest horse I have ever seen. He is also called "the Barbie horse". He is a tan color with a blond mane. But he is incredibly over weight. I chose him so I could give him a good work out. Under all his layers of fat he does have a lot of muscle. When he runs you can see how beautiful he used to be and hopefully after several rides we can get him back in shape. He is 11 years old, their oldest horse.

When we got them to the coral I swung the lead rope around to get them warmed up and get their hearts pumping. That is one of my favorite things to do. I chase after then swinging the rope. I love to see them run. Once they were all saddled they seemed anxious to get a good work out. And boy did we work them hard! The horses don't get ridden very often, so my friend and I decided that we will definitely make it over at least once a week. The horses need to be reminded of who is boss and also of how to respond to directions. In the beginning I was a bit frightened of Fat Jack, if he were to even step on my foot it would probably be broken so I couldn't imagine if he were to do more than that! He was very feisty and stubborn. So Rena, my friend, hops on instead of me, she is so good with the horses! She trains riders. I hope to learn great things from her, and not just about horses. So she took over and worked Fat Jack real good. So much that when I took him back he was pretty much done. I worked with him on staying close to the rail and following it rather than his usual circles he would take me on. He would repeatedly head back to the gate and I would give him a good kick and get him back in line. He improved once he knew I wasn't giving in. While Rena was working with Fat Jack I had her horse, Leo. He is young, 3 years old. He is also incredibly stubborn, more so than any other horse. But boy did I have fun. He would fight me on directions, he wanted to do his own thing or follow Rena and Fat Jack. I would just tell him no and give him a good kick and flick of the rein on his back side. He would do a hop and take off into a dramatic gallop, shaking his head all over the place and dipping down and twisting around. The first time he did it I was a bit nervous of being thrown off, but then we both started relaxing and it was awesome. All I thought about was Leo and working him. I had no other thought in my mind. We worked on turns (they need to learn to turn with the squeeze or kick of my left or right leg, not with the reins), backing up, trotting, and galloping. It was the best ride I have had.

When we were finished riding Rena and I just sat on the back of our horses talking, I braided Fat Jack's mane so he could be a true Barbie horse. As we were walking the horses back to the pasture I noticed Clyde down at the fence waiting and calling to us.

After all the fun of exercising the horses I was quite tired. I stood watching Lydia and Karen (Rena's daughter) swinging on the tire swings hung in the trees that shaded the Grandma and Grandpa's back yard. A big gust of wind came and yellowing leaves swirled and twirled all around the two playful girls. Oh how I wish I had my camera (also because Grandpa had taken the girls on a pony ride in the pony cart, they each had a turn at using the reins). I could no longer be an observer. I went to the lush green grass that surround the big tree with the swings hanging in it, I found my perfect spot and laid spread eagle on the ground. The wind was just perfect, not too cold. I shut my eyes and just listened to all the sounds around me, the girls chatting and giggling, the rustling of the leaves in the trees, and the silent whisperings of the leaves fluttering to the ground all around me. It was beautiful. I smiled and felt so at peace. This had been the most perfect day. I lay there thinking about the perfectness of the day and how I wouldn't change a thing, how I longed for more. I replayed in my mind the movement of the horse and how free I felt while on his back. As I laid in the grass I felt so happy I could have just floated away, up into the clouds.