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Leap on Over!
Do you ever feel like you're facing a big thing that you just want to run away from? Kinda like that monster under your bed when you were really little?
Maybe it's a big test at school, or a new club you're joining and you have to go to the first meeting alone. Maybe your big monster is a change in your school - meeting new friends and learning new ways.
No mater how big your monster is - I'm learning that the best thing we can all do is face it. Yup, you heard my right - face that big bad thing.
You know what? Once you face it - it won't be scary anymore.
Take me and jumping for example. I was really scared at first - those jump things sure don't look like anything I've seen in the wild. But then - mommy helped me face one of those scary jumps. Once I jumped just one, I felt the wind n my mane and the happy in my heart. That's when I knew those little jumps weren't scary monsters. Not at all. They were just new and different.
Well, these days I have a new jumping partner - Sydney. She and I are jumping some new things and last Friday we were looking at the biggest thing I'd ever seen. It was HUGE and really really scary. Wow. "I can't do that - it's too scary," was my first thought.
But then Sydney helped me find the courage to step up and face this new Monster. First, we walked over to it so I could inspect it really good. I sniffed it and kicked it - sized it up and was still a little unsure. But after I kicked it a few times, I figured out it wasn't really that scary- even if it is higher than my armpits!
Check out what happened next!
The video is a bit blurry I'm told - but the jump wasn't blurry at all! That jump is over 2'9" high - which for me is really really big. But with a bit of encouragement and belief from Sydney and the gals (including my proud Mama) - I DID IT!
You can too. Whatever scary thing is standing in your path - you can jump over it. All you have to do is trust yourself, trust those who love you, step up to it, take a deep breath and jump. It's never as scary as it looks - and you'll be wondering what was so scary once you take that first leap!
Remember - the sky's the limit when you are Unstoppable!
We Can All be Free!!!
I learned a big lesson this holiday season. I learned that I can feel free - even if I'm no longer in my freedom-based wilderness home. It's all in my head, and my heart!
Mommy took me to Graham Hill with a bunch of the young ladies from the barn and their hunter jumpers. WHAT FUN! I don't care if I'm the runt of the bunch. I love jumping the cross country course there!!!
We warmed up in the arena then we went to jump. I got the chance to jump with a bunch of the girls. But then - it was just me and my buddy Pride. He jumps over 6 feet - and he only has one eye!!! How's that for Unstoppable everyone?
Anyway - we were running around the course, jumping the jumps and the wind was blowing in my mane and face - the grass was so green and the sun so bright. Mommy and Teralyn were laughing and so happy - it was the perfect moment with my family.
Just like when I ran with my herd family in the wild.
WOW.
It hit me. There running on that beautiful day. I am Happy, with a capital HAPPY! I love my mom and my bro Shadow (even if he is a pain), love my barn family and all the girls. I love horse camping and riding on the beautiful trails here in this green place.
It's different from before with my herd family, roaming thousands of miles of New Mexico high desert. But different doesn't have to mean it's bad.
There are all kinds of freedom in life. I learned the most important place to be free is in your heart - because they you are free, no matter where you go!
It's Your Choice!
Fear is really scary. We all get scared.
But did you know that fear is also all in your head? It's not real, any more than nightmares or scary monsters.
We all get to decide - whether we want to be afraid or be brave.
But sometimes it's hard to be brave. Like when our life is changing. I was brave - until the scary people came and broke up my family. After that, I was really scared. I was afraid of everyone and everything. And you know what, I think I had a right to be afraid... then.
But I got stuck in fear. I wouldn't even try to find anything good about my new life. Instead, I fought everyone who came around me. I refused offers of help and just kept striking back every chance I got.
But then I learned that I have a choice - to be afraid, or to be brave.
My life did change. But that's how life is sometimes. Things change.
Even though my change was scary - I found happy people who were nice to me, who wanted to love me. I found a happy life - after I let go of the fear and anger - after I decided to be brave.
I took a deep breath and trusted my new life. And you know what? Life got better!
Here's my latest big step of courage. Mommy, Shadow and I are hanging out with all these BIG horses. They're huge. They jump these really tall fences. Mommy wanted me to try a little one. It looked weird and I wasn't too sure about it. But I stepped up (or over) and boy did I have fun!
We All have a choice.
You can choose to be afraid and be angry. You can dig your hooves into the ground and refuse to accept whatever is changing around you. But you won't find your happy life that way.
When we're stuck in fear - we miss a lot of good things.
- We push away people who want to be our friends and help us,
- We miss out on the chance to try new things
- We keep ourselves unhappy - even if there are good things happening all around us.
When we choose to be brave we get the chance to experience new things, meet new people and learn new things.
And that's what's so fun about life.
Flinching is NOT only for Sissies
I bet a lot of you think you have to put on a happy face no matter what happens. Humans are taught to smile in the face of fears and scary things. I have no clue why - that doesn't make any sense to me.
I see humans walk thru this world and they try so hard not to flinch, no matter what scary thing is coming at them. I'm told that you don't want anyone to see you're scared.
How crazy is that?
My wild momma taught me that acknowledging fear is a good thing. Especially when it's a mountain lion that's chasing you and you're really afraid!You better believe I would ask my herd for help
Asking for help when you're afraid is a good thing to do - for all of us.
It's funny to me. You have scary things and people in your world - but you also have people who want to help you. Just think how much easier life would be if you had the courage to raise your hand and ask for help, to admit you were afraid or unsure.
That's right. It takes courage to admit you're afraid and ask for help.
But that's how you face the fear - by being brave and admitting you're afraid, facing that fear and kicking it far away from you - with help from your friends and family.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness - in any world. In fact, I think that flinching shows you have a brave heart.
I'm learning to ask for help and let my Mommy know when I'm afraid. And you know what? I'm no sissy!
Here's an example. When I first saw a cow - I was SCARED. They smelled like hamburgers, acted funny for an animal and I'd never seen anything like that. So I flinched! I backed up and reared and tried to get away from where Mommy wanted me to go. That way she knew I was afraid. She didn't think less of me - she simply knew how I was feeling and that I needed a bit of help.
She let me watch the cows for a while, took me over and let me sniff them through the fence. Hmmm, pretty harmless if you ask me. Then I got to watch the other horses play with the cows for a while so I wouldn't be so afraid to play too. And you know what - it looked like fun! So - I decided to be brave - and just look what happened!
So the next time you think you can't flinch and ask for help - remember this.
It takes more courage to step up and admit to fear than it does to hide the fear.
Flinch on!