Dear 2020,
Of all the mail that you’ve received, this is possibly the only one that won’t go in the hate mail pile. I’d guess you didn’t aim to make things so difficult this year, but here we are. There’s no denying it, you were one for the history books. A pandemic, killer bees, TikTok, quarantine, country wide riots, small businesses struggling across the country and the longest election in history. And, on a much smaller scale of inconvenience: cancelled horse shows, and barns being closed to the public.
Despite the endless curveballs, you handed us all some lessons that will serve us well in the new year and beyond.
That we should always count our blessings. The barn has always been a safe haven for the equestrian. When states were forced into lockdown, it became many people’s only chance to enjoy the fresh air. For those who were truly unlucky, their barn’s were closed to non-essential personnel for many weeks. But, once restrictions lifted, barn time became even more holy. I found myself feeling so blessed that I had a place to forget all the troubles of the world, if only for a little while.
There is no time like the present. With many people working from home and being told that indoor activities, like going to the gym, weren’t safe, there was no time like the present to pick up riding. Suddenly, people with very little time to themselves had ample time to mark riding off their bucket list. For those that already rode, they found that there was finally more time to commit to their passion.
The importance of flexibility. Flexible is not an adjective that anyone has ever used to describe me. Not only did horse show plans for clients go down the tubes, so did my personal ones. Horse show season did finally begin, but only after many weeks of cancellations and false starts. The focus had shifted from the placings at shows, to just being fortunate enough to get to show. It became essential to roll with the punches and continually adapt the schedule.
While you were far from a walk in the park, 2020, I am walking into 2021 with a fresh outlook and life lessons. Thank you for giving me a new perspective on just how blessed I am to teach such a supportive, dedicated and talented group of clients. Thank you for an unprecedented amount of time with my husband. Thank you for the opportunity to walk into 2021 a better rider and coach.
Sincerely,
A rider who is soaking up all the blessings they were offered
Full send into 2021 photo by GRC Photo