As I am staring into space one evening...
~
Scott: “What are you thinking about?”
Me: “Horses.”
A slight pause.
Scott: “Is that the automatic default mode?”
Me: “Yes.”
I do not believe in the term “Super Mom.” I think all moms who do their best for their children are super, whether they work in or outside the home, and regardless of how many children they parent.
Sometimes people wonder how I make it all work. I wonder that myself, too, sometimes. As far as the horses go, I find myself doing what a lot of us probably do: running that part of my brain on what I call a “parallel life.”
It’s like this: you get up and do your morning routine. But your brain is with your horses. You do your work. It may include the horses, or someone else is doing it for you. A part of you is revolving around when you will be with them again.
Caleb hays the horses early morning for me (on most days). I go out mid-morning to do my barn chores and a second feeding. Meanwhile, I’ve done my morning routine and I’ve been teaching.
In winter, the horses always get a snack and then their evening feed, so their hay allotment is spread out over four times a day. This helps them stay warm and sane.
Now that spring is here, the kids know that we worked hard all winter, so we can end the morning lessons at one o’clock. Everything I needed to show them for the day has been done. They can work independently to finish, and I check their work at four o’clock and go over any questions with them then.
In the meantime, if their morning responsibilities are caught up, and they can get their other work done by four p.m., they have any spare time for outdoor pursuits. And guess who will be joining them outside? That’s right. It’s horse time.
I have three solid hours. Grooming, tacking up, riding, and clean up all usually take me about two hours. My extra minutes are spent on time with the kids outside and/or gardening.
When I get back inside, I can check work and be available while dinner cooks. I usually have dinner planned by morning. (This one thing saves me hours it seems.) Just walking into the kitchen already knowing what I am doing saves a lot of time for me.
Meanwhile, if it’s non-pasture time, the horses have already had a snack. One of the children have done this for me. After dinner I go outside, finish their meal feeding and set them up for the night.
 |
| I have been known to leave the property. |
I guess those of us with horses lead an alternative lifestyle. Work, career, family…and someplace, a part of our brain is at the barn: feeding, caring, training, riding, health care—all the many necessary things that we oversee for our horses either directly or through careful delegation.
I would love to hear some of the things you do to lead your “parallel life.”
Universal Theme, 1994
Nijinsky, Arts And Letters, Bold Ruler, Princequillo,
Nashua, Count Fleet, Jet Pilot, Bull Lea
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