Why Not Vienna

Because it shouldn't be this hard

The Spanish Riding School, Vienna, Austria

Bits

The 4th Turning continues.

The weather outside is bleak, the hotness left along with the cheer of summer. This is the time of clouds and cold wind then surprise! A day of summertime again. The weather is as bouncy as my momentum. Leaping fences and scoring runs seemed the usual fare of the day. Then, what is this that has descended upon me?

Over booked, over zealous, over imaginative, over the edge I have gone. Life is not a formula because there are so many variables. Variables like people, places, and things. All of which are definitely out of my control.

So, because I am brilliant I decided I will just whip myself into shape and ignore everything and everyone around me that can deter, detour, and derail me from my path. This should've worked except I cannot even control myself. I am not the master of me or of my life.

It shouldn't be this hard.

Bridles

The thought struck me that when Jonah finally decided to obey God and go to Nineveh, he did not run to make up for lost time. He simply started off in the right direction leading to the right destination.

Direction. Vienna to me is a destination that signifies visiting The Lipizzaners in person, entering the halls of The Spanish Riding School and attending a performance, meeting Hannah the first woman rider whose video "My Perfect Day' is below, and greeting the majestic white stallions stall by stall on a walking tour.

My WHY NOT VIENNA signifies my turn-around point, a direction reset, where I started to believe anything is possible with God. Although the world shut down just as I had reserved my apartment 500 feet from the entrance to the Lipizzaner Stallions and The Spanish Riding School, the airfare booked, tour guide in check, and the best performances circled, I still carry hope of taking that trip.

Speed. I did my turn around this morning. I’m a No-Show to a live art workshop from the UK, but scheduled my violin practice for today, now writing my heart to free myself, and smiling because I am doing all this in the presence of God. With God. My timing is not God's timing. Wow, each surrender seems so much harder than at the start of my spiritual journey.

The rate at which I learn and understand is a lot slower and a lot faster at the same time. With God it’s just right. No hurry to catch up or make up for lost time. It is in this moment. It is this decision. It's doing all [fully focused] with God.

Rhythm. I illustrate rhythm as a cadence rather than a formula. A cadence is a rhythm, or a flow of words or music, in a sequence that is steady. In the dressage arena there are an exact amount of steps to complete an action. In learning dressage floorplans for performance and correlate music compositions, every step is within a cadence, within the program.

Groundwork of learning the half-pass in mirroring the horses steps was one of my lifetime highs. Half-pass is an advanced form of lateral work for horses. In the half pass the horse moves sideways along the diagonal line, while looking in the direction of movement. It is a beautiful floating of horse and rider. The half pass involves rhythm, relaxation, contact, straightness, and throughness, development of thrust, carrying power, collection, and elevation.

Balance. Applying the half-pass to my daily life, I ask: where am I out of step, out of cadence, out of contact, out of straightness? The facedown I have experienced this past week is a tell-all. No wonder I found myself saying: It shouldn't be this hard!

Learn how to improve your balance for dressage and why it is important as a rider to train this in ourselves as much as we do our horses¹. I say, as artist, creative, and human being this balance is needed in all that I do - and it takes effort, it just doesn’t happen. Understanding what all is beneath to support and maintain balance is very important.

Since I do not have a horse to work with at this time, kettlebells and kickboxing are my new go-to. There is an absolute connection between movement and connection to inspiration. A former advocate of all things workout, I have become quite the chair spud this past year trying to catch my breath and enjoy not being homeless, living at a roadside inn, sitting.

Drop The Reins

It's training day. With God.

The least amount of effort and the greatest amount of accomplishment always signifies with God for me. It is this that I experienced early in sobriety and described as Praying For God's Will: It Just Works by my sponsor.

During the times of my life, the special moments as the ones creating with God whether in studio art works or groundwork with Audacity in the arena. When life seems not so full, it is time for the remembrance of all the times of filling.

God's will for me is to follow Him on the greatest life adventure that He has created for me. If I am not in that attitude of mind, I am off way track.

Note to Self: Drop the Reins

What does it mean to Drop the Reins {of one's entire life}? This came from my experience of riding with closing my eyes and lifting both hands {reins-free} straight out from my shoulders and allowing the horse to go at its pace walk-trot-canter. As I trusted {eyes closed}, I felt the float happen and then I was flying with the horse and we were as one. {Now imagine placing yourself in God the Creator's loving hands and let Him have the reins of your life day by day}

This is 'Drop the Reins' Just try it and see.

1. Nicola Smith, Dressage Rider Training DRT, New Zealand https://dressageridertraining.com