Reflections...

It's officially winter in Wisconsin. We got over a foot of snow yesterday during the blizzard and today it was below zero. Days like this, I have to wonder why exactly I live in Wisconsin (although I do love it here). And then when I head out to the barn, I have to wonder why I ride during our cold season. But then I realize that my fat winter gloves keep my hands more still, that trotting through the snow makes a great cardio workout, and that now is the perfect time to work on my balance and position bareback. I also remember that I have access to space heaters and hand warmers, so I guess it's not so bad, after all.

It's the end of my "assigned" blogging time, so I also thought this might be a good time to reflect on what exactly has happened during my blog experience. Most importantly, I've noticed how easy it is for me to drift off topic when I don't write within the constraints of an article. This is good and bad, I guess; I can cover things I may not otherwise think of, but it's hard to stay organized. However, the ease of posting is great. It's quite simple to get published on your own blog!

With all the changes in the journalism world, I can't help but be nervous about my prospects as a freelance writer/journalist (I'm a Life Sciences Communication major). If everyone can write about everything, who needs journalists? The thing is, I think we may need journalists now more than ever. Now is the time for outstanding writing. Now is the time to stand above the masses of writers with creativity, conciseness, and style. There's a ton of unpolished writing on the internet (including this blog, I now realize), so the good writers might have to work a little to get noticed. But they will get noticed. Journalism isn't going anywhere. It might wear a different suit, but its core is the same as it always was.

Perspective

So every once in a while I get to thinking about something. It's usually when I'm riding along, thinking, "I need 1/2 ounce more pressure in my left rein, and I think the mare's not tracking up as much as she should be on her right hind, and my ears need to be further back, and my heels should be down another centimeter or two, and is she really giving to my leg?"

Or when I'm teaching, telling a student, "You need to bring your shoulders back an inch, and your right pinky finger needs to be closed, and keep that knee down, and he's slightly locked in his left jaw, and we need a tiny bit more impulsion."

You get the idea. We all know what that feels like. But once in a while I take a step back and think about what others must think of us. Frankly, they probably think we're crazy. I don't wonder why dressage riders get the reputation of being uptight control freaks. It's not a stretch of the imagination to see us that way!

However, I don't think that we are. I'm not, anyways, or at least I try not to be. It's just that precision is so important. When you're in there, when you're riding or helping someone else, it's so easy to get wrapped up in these minute (yet important) details. Yet at the same time, we need to think of the overall picture to keep ourselves sane and to keep it in perspective. It's all about that perspective. From the outside, we might seem out of our minds. From the inside, it's all important.

As long as it's fun, I don't think it really matters from where you're looking.