What's the big idea?

Everyone has a set goal that one day they'd be able to accomplish or have accomplished.  There are several goals that I would like to achieve one day.  Get married, have 2 children, get my PhD, along those lines.  What I'm focusing on now is the major goal that I have completed earlier in life.  It's not hugely affected my life, but it has made an impact.  Some say it's not even a hard thing, others like to think that it's scary, I think it's a great achievement that comes with hard work and dedication.  My huge past goal was jumping my first Equestrian 3-foot jump.

Yes, it may not see all that glamorous to some of you reading this, but let me tell you how much time and effort went into that particular achievement.  I had started riding horses since I was 6 years old  (pony rides don't count).  I've always loved horses, and not just riding them.  I used to be afraid of normal sized horses when I was younger.  Since I was a tiny person, normal sized horses seemed huge! I didn't want to be that high off the ground, and when I was put on one of the horses, I started to cry.  So needless to say, I stuck with ponies for a while.  When I reached the age of 8, I went to a camp that offered horseback riding.  I wanted to do it so badly, and my parents signed me up.  I had the best time.

That started my passion of horseback riding.  Since then I have done shows, taught kids how to properly ride a horse, and became proficient in all things horse like.  Just recently though, I learned how to jump on a horse.  No, I don't mean jumping up and down on the horses back.  I mean me and the horse moving as one over an obstacle and being able to land it without any complications.  Before I hit the real jumps though, I needed to start small.

Polls.  They became my best friend for a solid 4 months of my jumping training.  In order for me to get started on working towards the big stuff, I had to go small.  Horse jumping pools are long, hollow polls that can be draped across anything like two bales of hay, or two barrels.  Mine, started flat on the ground.  Trotting (like a human jog) over them was just about the most exciting part of those first lessons.  I had done stuff like that before, so I basically thought it was a waste of time.  It really wasn't though.  It was a crucial foundation that I needed in order to get used to moving over a raised object.  If my horse and I just went straight into jumping, either of us could be hurt in the process.

After a few weeks, my instructor began to move the polls in different positions.  Three in a row, two right next to each other, and so on.  This would teach the horse to pick up its feet, so that it wouldn't trip and fall over my future jump.  Cantering (like a human run) over the polls was the next step.  That took more effort then I expected.  Cantering over the polls would tell the horse that speed was necessary in order to make the jump.  The entire time doing these drills, I had to be in the Jockey position.  Up out of the saddle, hands up on the neck, back straight, looking right ahead of you.  Needless to say, it was a workout.

Finally after all that preparation, I was able to try a raised jump.  Nothing too fancy, but at least it was something.  It took a while for me and my horse to get the hang of it, but in due time we finally made a clean jump! After weeks and weeks of trying different combination of, we were finally able to try a higher jump.  With set determination, and all my practice behind me, I set myself up for the 3-foot jump.  Cantering towards it, my horse flew over it with such grace it was almost perfect.  I had just landed a high jump, and I was so proud of myself.

This shows that you can set any goal, and with determination you can complete it!  Never give up on something that you know you can do.  It's the simple idea that you can complete something, something that may or may not be hard, and that one day you can actually do it.  Just a simple idea put into actions, it's amazing.

All It Takes Is A Spark

Just a small spark, an encounter with someone new, is all it takes to make a roaring fire.  The first time making eye contact with that boy/girl in the hallway, can be all it takes to set your heart on fire. Love.  It’s a powerful word for someone young to say.  It has a friendly meaning to it, but also a deeper more compassionate side to it.  Anything can set off that spark, almost any encounter with any person. For me, it was an ice rink (of all places) where I first felt the word “Love”.

 He wasn’t the guy I was expecting to meet that night though.  It was suppose to be his friend.  His friend (Ryan) decided to say that “he didn’t like socializing while skating”.  So that was a dud.  His friend Brian started to talk to me that night though.  He had conversations with me, he and I shared laughter, we had a much better time together then I would have had with Ryan.  It was really unexpected, but I vividly remember the night.

 All it took was that first word spoken, and he had me hooked.  Nothing special, no flowers, shiny jewelry, none of that.  It was just how he carried himself and how he was to me at that moment, that it was just so alluring to me. 

 This happened a year and a month ago exactly.

 Today, Brian and I are now dating.  We have been together ever since 10.14.11.  That’s over a year.  To me is amazing that I can have such a strong relationship like this, at such a young age. 

 And all it took,

 Was a spark

Who stands on top of their mountain?

Have you reached your peak?  Your best of you best? Gave life that big punch in the gut, and won it all?  Not many people can say they've got it all.  Some work well into their senior years still striving to reach their final goal.  Personally, I think my mother has achieved the American Dream.  She takes care of me (that's a hard job) and my brother everyday.  She has a husband and a loving dog named Frank. She basically treats swimming, biking, and running like it's her job.  Even though she has all of this on her plate, she still manages to wake up in the morning with a smile on her face.  My caregiver, my boss, my best friend, my mom, has reached the top of her mountain.

It's not everyday that you get to go about your day doing whatever your heart desires (unless you have tons of money or tons of free time).  As it seems, there is always something to do.  To me, my mom never appears to have "down time".  She wakes up around 7:00 a.m. (on good mornings) and doesn't stop working until around 7:00-8:00p.m. My mom is a dedicated triathlete, she does it even in her sleep!  My mom lives in workout clothes.  Its pretty much all she wears.  My mom loves biking, she has all the latest gear.  The top-notch bike, the fab new helmet, and the coolest gloves.  My mom could live on her bike if she really wanted to.  Just recently she went on a 100-mile bike ride through southern Indiana, could you do that?  She also is a half Ironman.  She completed 70.3 miles of biking, swimming, and running.  Took her under 7 hours to do it all, but what a feat! She plans to do a full Ironman (140.6 miles) by year 2014. Never in all of my years could I be able to do such a thing.

Like all of us, my mom goes through stresses everyday.  She meets obstacles, she goes through hardships, and she is no super hero.  She does go through life as though nothing can hold her back, she knows how to keep her head high and trudge on, even through the thickest of negativity.  Can we all say that we can do this?  It's very hard to do.

My mom has pretty much always wanted to be a writer.  In college, she wanted to become a reporter.  Travel the world, meet exciting people, all that jazz.  Instead, she worked as a waitress in a bar, and danced on tables.  If it wasn't for that job, she would've never met my dad, and I wouldn't be around to be typing this entry.  Everything happens for a reason, right?  A few years ago my mom began to pick up writing again.  Dusted off her laptop, bought herself a new at-home working station, and began to rediscover her old love.  She began to write a book, sort of a story about her life, through someone else's eyes.  She has been doing an amazing job with it.  She is still working on it, even after a few years!  Currently, my mom has a blog.  She submits a new entry almost every day it seems.  She can't get enough!  They're all wonderful entries though, I try to read them all.

My mom has been able to do all that she has wanted to do.

Completed each task she has given and jumped over every obstacle put in front of her.  I can easily say that I'm very proud of her and that she will continue doing these things even into her old and brittle years.  My brother and I are there for her, even if it doesn't always seem like it.  She has a loving family, tons of friends, and a love of her daily activities.  My mom has truly achieved the American Dream.

A Dream Into Reality

You and I may have different views on what the great American Dream may be.  Some may say it’s fame, some may say it’s fortune, and others may say it's the right to be free.  Every person has a different goal set out for their lives, an achievement that they want to reach before a certain time in their life. (A "bucket list" if you will).  Now honestly, what is the "American Dream"? My answer would be to achieve your most sought-after goal.

Everyone has a goal they have set for themselves to complete personally.  It's what makes an individual, an individual.  If we all had the same sets of goals, then what would be the purpose of trying to be the best you could be?  Even as a child, there was something you wanted to be, whether it was the President, or an astronaut.  There has always been something to strive for in life.  To be able to someday complete that sought-after goal, can make your soul shine brighter than the sun.  It can't come easily though, it comes from hard work and dedication.  Time, effort and the will to push through the thoughts and voices of yourself, and from others around you.  My main goal in life, is to become a successful therapist for couples, married and dating.  I want to help people, and I feel I am good at helping them in that way.  It will take time, and it sure will take effort, but I am willing to put every single ounce of my will to make sure I reach that long-term goal.

A dream, doesn't have to stay a dream.

 Why not make it a reality?

 Reach up and pull out that dream from your thought bubble above your head, and cling it to your chest.  Act as if you'll never let go of it.  Make it so that you know in your mind, body, and soul, that you will achieve this goal.  You know you can do it, because you have wanted it for so long.  Say, you want to be a famous singer, but you're tone deaf.  Not being able to hit that high C isn't going to hold you back.  You have to practice stretching those vocal cords, every single day.  Dedicate your free time to practicing different ranges and pitches so your voice becomes comfortable with the changes.  All that time and effort put in, will come out in your great achievement.  You can go and sing on small stages, work your way up until that one-day where someone sees your true talent and makes you a star.  How would that make you feel?  All that time and work put into making your dream come true, what would you do? What would you say?

Would it be somewhere along the lines of...

"This was once a dream, now it's a reality."