The Inner Child

Sometimes people get out of touch with their inner child.   They are the saddest people I know.   They have forgotten the glee of adventure, the wholeness of the moment, and the joy of just being.  I feel that is the one attribute of distance riders that I most admire…the inner child alive and well, that wholesome sparkle in their eyes that says I can still have fun!   The seventy-eight year old that says... I'm climbing up and we are going!The sixty-something year old that gave me a wicked grin and raced me across a snowblown ridge line one wicked winter day.  Me barely hanging with them….by the seat of my pants thank you much!  The ability at times to throw caution to the four winds and JUST DO YOUR THING.  To be present in the now with your horse.  The dropping blood pressure, the tension seeping out of your body, the smell of sweat, and leather, and the gentle rhythm of the horse.  It is mindful, it is wonderful.  I have a hectic life, don’t we all?  Those special times with my horse I get to be ME.  I have nobody to please, no person to make judgment, just my furry one and myself, the wind in our face, snow on our lips, or the sun shining in our eyes, and my inner child smiling broadly upon her back.  People, life gets no better than that.  ~ E.G.