Brave

 

She doesn't look it here, but Ella is afraid. A few months ago she was doing so well, her instructor encouraged her to take a risk. She did, willingly, but nearly fell off. Since then, fear has found it's place with Ella at the barn.

Ella is no stranger to fear. Since she was a baby she has often been afraid. She shrunk away from strangers. Cowered in elevators. She used to be afraid to swim. But as many fears as she has had, my little munchkin has conquered so many of them. She has approached riding the same way, not willing to give into her fear.

I admit, I've pushed a bit. I'm sure in part because I love to watch her ride. I love to imagine that she is collecting similar memories that I collected riding as a girl. I hope that she is building her own self confidence and strength that I know comes from riding an animal so big and powerful.

I'm proud of her every time she gets on to ride. Ella is brave.

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Fall-ing

Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons, although I don't give in without a struggle. I love summer with its lazy beach days, ice cream lunches, and flip flops. I love the relaxed routine, if any routine at all, of long summer days. Summer is hard to give up. But then there is the changing leaves and pops of color, the fleece wrapped snuggles, and cozy fires of Fall. We love the Fall rituals - apples, pumpkins, and the woods.

I've wrote about it before, I'm sure. The beach is to summer as the woods is to Fall. I love to gather us up and plop us down at a trailhead freshly covered in a blanket of pine needles. The air has a refreshing crispness and the colors, of course the colors! They may bellyache about leaving hockey sticks and soccer balls behind at first, but once we are just a few feet in, all is well. Some run ahead, a few may lag back. Conversation comes easily, imaginations take hold. Yes, we welcome Fall.

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Swimmers

My kids are all getting to be good swimmers. In my book that pretty much means that no one holds their nose when they jump in, which puts them ahead of me.

 

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