On Stranger Tides

Seems like every time I go to sit down and write, that's when I lose the inspiration.

No surprise then I've started and dropped this update a couple times now.

Also no surprise that, to be quite frank, there has hardly been reason for me to write.  A year ago I was flying high, enjoying the journey of a lifetime, and as I come up on some major milestones in that journey in the coming months, it just makes me sad.

But to cut to the chase, so much has changed in the last year, even in the last few months since my last blog entry.  Sig and I enjoyed a quiet spring, did a lot of hacking, very little ring work, and mostly he chilled and got to grow up a little.  I didn't spend a lot of time riding due to work being crazy, and getting ready for my pending military move.  Where did I end up going?

Japan.

 

...Okinawa, to be specific.  I arrived in the middle of June.  It was a whirlwind spring, I had a lot of life-sorting and packing to do, hence Sig's light work schedule.  I dropped Siggers off with my trainer friend, Ashley, at her farm in Kentucky (just down the road from Mt. Brilliant where he grew up!) back in May.  Because the relationship is so new I wondered whether it would be easy to drive away...I finally stopped crying uncontrollably somewhere after I cleared the Lexington city limits.

Just before I started the long drive home without him...

He's doing great out there.  He's getting ridden now four days a week, getting a real foundation in flatwork and gridwork to start his career off right.  Ashley does a lot of hacking with him as well since he loves that and it's great for his brain.  She is a wonderful, soft rider who has a very similar approach to training as I do, so I could not think of a better person for him to go to.  He's currently doing night turnout, but he has the option of living out 24/7, so it's a great situation for him.  Here are some progress videos:






He will spend the year with Ashley, and I will spend the year here on Okinawa.  All in all, not a bad place to spend the year (yes...these are all my own photos of the neighborhood where I live!):

My work is my primary focus while I'm here, but I also have a couple of hobbies and areas of self-improvement I want to focus on.  I want to spend more time reading books, preferably on my quiet beach and away from technology and distractions.  I want to get fit again; I lost all my fitness and gained nearly 20 lbs since Soon's illness, subsequent death, and some unfortunate family issues that followed shortly thereafter.  I want to lose that weight and get fit so I can get back in the saddle and not miss a beat.

I also decided to start learning the violin.  This was a lifelong "dream" of mine, something I always wanted to do, but I guess until recently never allowed it to be more than just a thought.  I bought a violin two years ago at the encouragement of a colleague, but the poor thing sat in a corner, neglected, until I got my orders to Okinawa.  I started weekly lessons with a local professional in a last-ditch attempt to learn whatever I could in those two months before I left.

Bae and I in the airport waiting on our flight overseas

I found an incredible teacher here on Okinawa, and I lesson with her weekly.  It is my hope to learn as much as possible in this year, where I do not have any other major hobbies or distractions.  This is a great opportunity for me to dedicate myself to this instrument, so that I can have a solid foundation for the future.  I hope to continue regular lessons when I get back to the States, hopefully play in a local (community) orchestra, perhaps even some chamber music someday when I'm good enough.

I used to be a musician; I studied classical piano for 10 years.  I played both the piano and clarinet (concert bands and wind ensembles) from my seventh birthday through my senior year in college.  Studying music is a lot like serious training in the horse world.  It takes a lot of work, a lot of dedication, and incredible amount of humility, and passion.  It's been nice to revisit my musical training and get back in touch with a part of myself I had long ignored.

And it's keeping me happy (or, as happy as it can).  It's almost as important as riding is, but of course it cannot quite fill that void.  I had major withdrawals this past week.  Was super sad about not being around horses, was missing Sig, was mourning Soon, was completely unsure how to get through the next 10 months without horses.

Sig also needs a new saddle by the sounds of it, so that is a large expense I had not budgeted for yet.  It will likely cost me my planned adventure to New Zealand this winter.   I had really wanted to go and spend a week or two in NZ.  It was the lifetime adventure, complete with horseback treks.  Now I seriously doubt I can afford any of that.

There are some (limited) riding options on Okinawa.  I do not know if I will end up riding here or not, but one of the barns is open to having me come out and hop on horses if we can make the timing work, so just knowing it's an option makes me feel more at ease.  Also, getting outside, away from the computer, getting moving, and getting some work done with the violin have helped put me in a better mood.

This is a year of finding myself, hitting the reboot button and finding out who I am now without my great partner, without some of the support systems I had in place before.  Hopefully this makes me a stronger person.  A better person.  A better partner for Sig.

We'll see.