Elation

I was searching for just the right thing this summer for my daughter to do. You know, she's at that weird age... old enough for some things, too young for others. Back when I was in middle school the world was a different place. There was less worry about leaving us home all day in the summer. We'd explore the woods, ride bikes clear across town, spend the day at the beach or in the pool, just us kids! Now people are spreadout in urban sprawl. She might be killed on a bike on our roads! There are child molesters and creepazoids everywhere... so anyway, kids camps seemed to young for her but I work and she gets bored at my studio space... sigh, what to do. I asked one of my students, a cool, smart, well adjusted but delightfully eccentric girl,"what would you say if you had to pick something that made a huge, positive difference in your life at 13? Was it a activity, a hobby, a person?" She said, "Horses! hands down" She went to a barn near her house and it changed her life. Then I asked a friend whose raised three fantastic girls what she thought really gave them self confidence and joy. She said,"horseback riding!" Odd they both, in the same week, said the same thing. So I signed her up at a barn for horseback riding camp. She went everyday from 8:30 to 2 for weeks this sumer. We all got hooked. She goes for lessons on Wednesday evenings. Her very first competitive show was yesterday.



Here she is with her trainer. She entered one division. And in the very first class of that division they called her name for first place. I missed seeing her jaw drop in shock as I was on the opposite side of the ring. The trainer and other mothers said it was priceless! She went on to get division champion. I could not be happier for her.
I bet she'll not take that medal off for days.