Every year I sit down and think about what I would like to accomplish in the coming year. Along with that I choose a word that will encompass what I envision. Sometimes it's a word that brings action and excitement. Sometimes it's a word that brings comfort.
Over the years I have chosen:
Inspire (2015) - that was a year of many firsts and making great headway with my horsemanship. I started riding my young horse and then went to Parelli in Colorado for a week long riding course which was a level 3 Freestyle/Bridleless course! And we rocked it.
Calm (2016) - that was the year I spent reading tons of books and trying to figure out what I was going to do with my horsemanship. I wasn't enjoying riding any longer and was feeling very off balance. So I spent that year finding peace in not riding and bringing the ponies home from my Mom's so I could start my journey with Zorro!
Moxie (2017-18) - this was an energizing two years! Lots of learning and blogging and driving. I was looking for a word that would make me feel full of vigor and pep and those were busy busy two years!
Shine Your Light (2019) - this was a year of continuing to put myself out there regardless of all the online bullying and targeting that was going on at the end of 2018 and throughout the entire 2019 year. This did lead to me taking a Facebook break at the end of 2019. I needed to step back, re-group and put my time into a couple of big projects I'm working on.
This leads me to the word of 2020 - Softness. I have been reading several books by Mark Rashid, the latest one called Whole Heart, Whole Horse. There is a lovely forward in that book written by his wife and in it she shares Mark's thoughts on lightness versus softness:
Lightness has to do with the outside of the horse, the stuff the horse knows and can do.
Softness is joy.
I love that. I love that definition of softness as much as I love the one that says: the quality of being mild, gentle, or tender; lack of force.
That leads me to my second word of the year: Joy - a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
This is going to be our year of softness and joy. Zorro and I will learn all kinds of new things together for the simple joy of it. This will be a year less about teaching others and more about teaching myself. I plan to spend hours and hours just spending quiet time with Zorro in the mountains, camping, hiking and driving. I can not wait.
Here's to a year full of joy and happiness to you too!