Thursday 13 {Link-up}

Still in the throes of gratitude for a tremendous weekend at Buck's clinic, I was inspired by a link posted on Mel's blog and I wanted to join in on her Thursday 13.

So I am going to link-up with her and thank her for prompting me to consider the things that I am grateful for.





13 things I am thankful for.

1. Travis It just doesn't get any better than love. He continues to amaze me. His sense of humor and sharp wit are offset by kindness and understanding. He listens to my ramblings of horsemanship discovery and doesn't judge me (or tell me I am crazy). He makes sure I am safe with vehicle and trailer maintenance. He is creative with building, inventions, and saving money while putting his own labor into the things that we have. It's not expected, but he just does it. It's this ingenuity that has put us in a house that I am grateful for on a daily basis. It's one of those things that is a secret inside a marriage that everyone on the outside cannot see. We both work at it and I appreciate that it's not a one-way street.

2. Health This is never, ever to be taken for granted. While I am not saying there is a connection, in the years since becoming pescatarian (fish occasionally makes it into my vegetarian diet), my migraines have been reduced to once or twice a year, and I now have a gastrointestinal tract that functions properly every day. It's amazing how grateful you can become when it appears that you have self-healed.

3. Whole Foods Fruits, vegetables, legumes. These superfoods (locally grown or bought preferred) can do wonders for your health and can offset the damage of processed foods.

4. Friends This includes those near and far, those I speak with every day and those in touch once a year.

5. Horses They have shown me more about myself than I can ever explain.

6. Family Including immediate, extended, and in-laws. Everyone in my life has a part in enhancing it.

7. Freedom The news reminds me how thankful I am that I was born in this country and that there are people who fight for our freedom, whether or not I agree with what the government has them fighting against.

8. Simple Pleasures Coffee. Bobby pins. Nail polish. Sunscreen. Mascara. Tall socks. Dragonflies. Music (which can also be a profound pleasure). Sleep. Jaeger's early morning "spinnies" and Quincy's woof for breakfast. Peechu's drive-bys.

9. Things that are Free Air. Taking a deep breath. Meditation. Contemplation. Reflection. The wind in the trees. Rain. Running. Feet and legs that carry me, arms and hands that feel and hold, organs that function without me telling them, eyesight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.

10. Work I am grateful that I am able bodied to do a job in which I get paid. I also have bartered work: websites in exchange for horsemanship clinics and the saddle of my dreams. Videos in exchange for a lifetime worth of education. The work involved in keeping horses. The beautiful, endless work that needs to be done to create a good horse.

11. Acceptance This includes accepting myself and replacing my doubts and insecurities with trust and self-worth. I am working on accepting the things I cannot change. Even when I want something wonderful for someone else, it is not my place.

12. Balance Both physically and mentally. Finding the good in moderation. It's not perfect, but I am working at it.

13. Learning I have tremendous gratitude for being able to learn and for having a mindset to be open to what life can teach me.