Smelling the roses, ignoring the thorns.

Tonight I was griping to my husband about my current situation with horse-ownership. The long drive to the barn in rush hour traffic. Not being able to see and pet Max everyday, much less ride him. The crazy amount of money I've spent, and will continue to be spending (bye bye retirement money). The fact that I drive all the way there after a tedious day at work, ride for barely half an hour, achieving my goals less often than I hope. Then the long drive back home on the crazy, unlit two lane highway littered with road construction.

Sometimes these issues creep into my mind and affect my riding. Suddenly I'm rushing, or I feel like I need to really push myself and Max to hit a goal. Just to make it all worth it.

Luckily I married my voice of reason and he reminded me that despite it all, I'm always excited to go again and again. That while I'm there I should forget about the things that bring me down and focus on what brings me up. Because in the end what really matters is that we take the time to enjoy the good stuff. And when we do, everything else becomes irrelevant. The thorns get cut away so all that's left is the sweet simple joy of the bouquet.