Looking Back Over 2010..........

A lot of things have happened around here in the past year that have changed my life in ways I never expected. Dave was and is still without a job and the impact of that has certainly taken its toll but it was not and is not the primary reason that it was a tough year for all concerned.

In years past I have always taken the last day of the year to reflect on what's happened around this Arabian horse breeding farm. This year hasn't been any different in my mind, I've been filled with reflections of the past years events and there impact. I figured I might just as well share them so maybe my readers will have an idea where I'm coming from in the journey I am about to embark on in 2011.

I knew from the start of 2010 that things were probably going to change and change drastically. I had hoped that I was wrong but suspected otherwise even though we'd begun working horses in January with some semblance of a schedule once again. I was finishing up the posts about my trip to the US National All Arabian Horse Show in Tulsa first. Then before I got back into the routine of posting about our daily life, I thought I get everyone up to speed on the three geldings that had been started in the fall of 2008.

While considerable time had passed since those horses had been started, they'd really not seen that much training time. I wanted my readers to understand why those horses were still doing remedial work so I posted Catching Up I had no idea that post would be the catalyst for what I was dreading most..... but it was. From there things were a downhill slide which I did not really share here except in fleeting little comments that left many wondering.

I pretty much wear my heart on my sleeve and I'm pretty transparent. I am not a person who can say I am fine when I am not. By not posting about what was happening here I felt like I was deceiving my readers, my friends. That part was hard but I was in a protective mode and for very good reason. My posts either reflected my turmoil or were a shield.

I posted about the Jody Strand Clinic instead of letting my readers know what was really happening here. Then I posted Life............and Its Lessons sharing a little of the things in my past that had contributed to this new dilemma I found myself in. Sharing history was a way to let my readers at least have a clue that something was going on without putting myself or my farm at risk.

There was another thing important about those experiences. I've learned over the years that not understanding mistakes of the past has only set me up to repeat them in the future. Now that I was in the throws of one whopping huge mistake I could see how I'd fallen into a trap of my own making. I guess that would be ok if it wasn't my horses seem to pay a price for my errors in judgement. I'm hoping 2011 will be different and that I will have learned my lessons well this time.

Unfortunately life does not wait for us. Just because things are falling apart doesn't mean that Life won't jump in with its own agenda. That was certainly the case last year as the secret drama unfolded and Mother Nature added more chapters to my story. Getting Ready for Spring and Unexpected Gains allowed me to put the focus on something other than the trainwreck I could see coming albeit adding much more stress to an already weighty burden.

Trying to keep focused on something positive in March I posted Aidol's Story and Sea Horse Spotted in Rhode Island Coast The more positives I could focus on I figured the better off we would all be. It was beyond being a very rough start to the new year.

By April the roller coaster ride was on. Not only was I fast heading towards a civil suit but it became evident that Solidare was still struggling with her pregnancy. There was just no way around it. I was on a collision course and something had to give. The question was WHAT? Checking Out Sport Horses at Heritage but by the mid point in the month at least the pregnancy was over if not the roller coaster ride, Solidare The foal was on the ground and both had survived. Solidare loved that foal and at least that part did my heart good.

Show season started and despite the fact I was now schooling my horses at the park, weather permitting which was NOT often, Legs and I did pretty well. Onto the Daffodil Spring All Arabian Horse Show It was a much needed boost considering the things I was not posting about were fast deteriorating.

Then thankfully I had the Morgan horse show to keep me occupied for a while and bring some money in. The 2010 Morgan Show.......Taking Legs Since I got to take my horse, I had a built in stress reliever for the horse show issues and I could just forget about the troubles at home for a while. It was all good.......for a week anyway.

In an attempt to relieve some of the financial stress around here as Dave worried about his unemployment benefits running out, I found a new home for Faye. A Mare.......A Van...........and Life Who knew when I put that mare on the van I had not relieved any stress at all, I had only compounded it.

It was during this time that I began posting about Sister A. I know to some her behavior was annoying but to me she was comic relief..... Meet Sister A ......or maybe that should read cosmic relief. Sister A's visits lightened my heavy heart. The woman could make me laugh.........and boy did I need to laugh about that time.

It was when Sister A's visits to the park seemed to wane, I seemed to meet others at the park to fill the void. First there were Gremlins in the Woods Those boys were a great distraction too and I missed them when they were gone.

In the beginning of July I had fessed up at least a little to what was going on around here. A Little about My Current Stress While I didn't go into details about the lawsuit for the first time I disclosed it existed and how much of my life was being consumed by it. My health was suffering and I was pretty overwhelmed when I met More on Characters at the Park They needed me as much I had needed Sister A, I think. Maybe they were more cosmic relief, a new sense of perspective, something to remind me that things really could get worse.

Lindsay, my baby, turned thirty in 2010. Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby! Lindsay turning thirty carried a welcome message. Yet another cosmic reminder that the bad things do pass and things get better. We never imagined Lindsay would live to thirty, let alone thrive. It does my heart good just to hug her each day no matter what else is happening in my life.

In August I scheduled to upload while I was gone managing another horse show for the Morgan Club of Washington a series of posts about another character at the park. More Characters at the Park.........The Mule Skinner I never did post about that horse show. Maybe because there was so much more happening here.

Heartbreak in the Road was right after that horse show. From there I went to the Summer Show to escape some of my grief . Life's Moving Along............... but being there carried some heavy weights I have yet to disclose.That really was the low point of my year. The roller coaster ride continued but the lows were never as low as the losses this month.

In September the upswing began Wrapping Up a Difficult Summer Although it might not have felt like it at the time, September really was a turning point. The lawsuit was over and it was time to focus on restoring my horse to his former brilliance and to take back my life. It was time to really start living it on my terms instead of reacting to those things determined by others.

The World Equestrian Games hit cyberspace and I was able to immerse myself in them and hide from the reality around here. I did lots of thinking about where I needed to be going and what I needed to do to get there and those games reminded me of the power there is in dreaming. Before you know it The Second Day........US Wins Gold Medal....and My Heart Skips a Beat the first real dreaming in a while crept in there without me even realizing it.

There were some bumps The Beginnings of a Little Story...............Animal Control.... but nothing we couldn't handle even if it didn't really feel like it at the time. Bumps............. and some difficult things to deal with Final Words on Solidare and DSLD but the focus was really on doing whatever it was to keep things going around here. Top of that list was getting my life in order along with whatever Storm needed. Figuring that out came first Sizing Things Up

When weather didn't permit working with him and Legs well there was always the US National All Arabian Horse Show streaming on the computer. More signs that things were on the upswing with signs of more dreams. Computer Skills.........and Reining Dreams......... That was a good thing!

In November we were surprised with this notice A Little News...........the Winner's Circle for Legs a welcomed bit of positive reinforcement that Legs is really getting it together . Then there was
The Making of a Hunter Horse.......Wendy Potts....the Young Horse Wendy Potts was really helpful both in giving me some much needed reinforcement I was right about Storm and giving me some tools to use in the journey to get the horse fixed.

November also brought Life and Record Breaking ?? Snows....... which really interfered with my ability to put those tools to use. Not being able to work horses was frustrating but what the heck. Winter in Washington.........it is what it is.......


In December The Pineapple Express really messed with my ability to school horses but I was sick anyway so probably wouldn't have gotten to ride anyway. I resorted to posting about the antics of Delilah and Sugar in posts like Molesting the Christmas Tree to hold to the timeline in my mind about other things.

The year has finished off on a good note as lytha came to call. She not only brought the sunshine but she added some perspective on what should come next. A Visitor Is Coming................ For those of you muttering because I've yet to post about the ride........just remember good things come to those who wait.....(sorry I just couldn't resist - as the queen of the cliff hanger as I've been called in the past, I really do not enjoy the squirming but timing is everything.......don't ya think??)

If you're wondering why I've posted through all this stuff from this year, both good and bad, it's has to do with the dose of perspective that comes with this reflection for me. Most certainly 2010 WAS a huge miserable roller coaster ride that sometimes I didn't think I could ever get off. BUT I'm no longer on that wild ride. I survived it and with that survival comes a knowing that I can survive pretty much anything that life brings my way. THAT is a good thing! I'm going to celebrate THAT as I ring in the New Year this evening!


Happy New Year Everyone!