Help me help you

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Classes are over for the holiday season and I have 6 weeks to finish grading, clean up some administrative tasks, facilitate an executive session and get ready for a new term in January. Not quite easy street but an important marker for the year and plenty of riding time ahead. As long as the weather and footing cooperates.

Good news is that footing has been great so far and I have enjoyed it so much that my body aches all over. Good news is that my horse is doing brilliantly on solo trails, lagging behind a group and leading out front. His jog is phenomenal and his cantalope is coming along pretty well. I haven’t cantaloped on the buckle while riding with others as his energy is more forward, but his jog on the buckle leading or following others is coming along very nicely.

After having ridden several days this week with others, I now feel the need to ride alone for a bit. To be quiet with my own thoughts. I am getting annoyed at little things and it’s probably best to distance myself and get a little lonely. Eventually I will be begging everybody to ride with me just to keep me company.

My husband likes to equate this to the importance of being hungry. Hungry in life, hungry for success, hungry for companionship. I guess Im not very hungry right now.

My horse is also feeling the need to self isolate from the annoying 2 year olds.



But barn companionship is SO important. It helps me ride more, ride longer, ride faster. Left to my own devices, I revert to inertia very quickly. Having someone to set a date/time, to expect you, and to push you makes a big difference. Otherwise I quickly start doing the minimum. And this time of year is no help at all.

We are thick in the second peak of covid cases in our province. Our shutdown and confinement keeps getting prolonged. This last one started Oct 1 for 28 days. Now with new daily cases still rising, there is even talk of cancelling Christmas. For now, if we can get new cases under a certain threshold, we are to self quarantine for one week before and after Christmas to have the ability to see our families twice in a four day period. No quarantine, no Christmas.

I told my husband last week that I was not quarantining for a three hour dinner. We spent time with our moms and family separately this week to break the news. And so our isolation continues. 

I seem to even lack the energy to keep in touch with some close friends. The constant isolation has increased my desire for more isolation. Which is ironic. I just cant imagine spending any more time than is absolutely necessary on the phone or on zoom. 

Weird.



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