A Happy Accident

Me and Doc, before.

“You were the best mistake I ever made,” goes the typical country song. Sometimes it’s true.

I am an experienced horseback rider. I’ve been riding since I was five years old, shown competitively since I was six, rode in college and on racetracks. I generally know what I’m doing.

So it seemed like a good idea to borrow a friend’s temperamental little pony, jump on bareback with a halter-type bridle, and join a Halloween parade with lots of scary costumes. It was barely a minute until my scared and pissed off pony bucked me into the dirt.

The Best Mistake

The best mistakes are the ones where the consequences wake us up, and yet we don’t pay a terrible price. In this case, I wasn’t badly hurt. I checked my metal knees, my newly-healed broken thumb, my old lady hips and all the other bones, and realized I was in one piece. Only my butt hurt and a little bit of aching in my back.

I was spared a big teaching from the Universe.

But that doesn’t mean I should ignore the message. It’s time to realize that I am not as young as I used to be, and maybe I should grow (the eff) up before I get handed a really big truth bomb.

Aging is Hard

For me, one of the hardest things about aging isn’t necessarily coping with the illness and injury, but the realization that I must now be cautious. I am no longer the young and fearless girl. I must now be the fearless and yet careful adult. It’s hard.

If I’m too careful, I’ll sit on the couch the rest of my life, and if I’m too fearless I’ll get seriously hurt, and probably end up on the couch for the rest of my life. So it’s important to find the  balance to continue to thrive.

If you’re struggling with these decisions, know that you are not alone. I’ve given up certain yoga poses, the double-black ski runs, and some of my crazier fitness things. In exchange, I’m still active and mostly okay. I’ll take that for now.

All my love,

Michelle