i'm not sure exactly what his disability is, but he doesn't have the physical strength to hold his own weight, and his mental acuity is behind that of normal developmental stages. that cannot negate the sweetness of his smile or laugh, however, and we took an instant liking to each other. he says he'll remember me for a hundred years, but i would be happy with a week.
that made the morning fly by, even though my last rider was one of the more difficult. at his first lesson, this boy was crying, screaming, pinching, and biting. it was amazing to see the progress he has made in just a short two weeks. no crying, no screaming, no biting, and only one or two pinches. believe me, the improvement was marked. so even though his lesson required a lot more energy than the other two, it was still extremely rewarding to see the impact that the program is having on him.
the other thing i really enjoy about being involved with this group, is that much like gardening (when i used to garden), it is the only thing currently in my life that simply does not allow the world in. i don’t care what i look like, or what is going on outside of that riding ring. nothing exists but me, the horses, the children, and the instructors. and anytime i can shut the world out, i consider it a miracle.
but, for whatever reason, shutting the world out seems to take a lot of energy. today in particular. so i came home, showered, took a nap, and accomplished only a couple of my 'to dos' before heading to fairfax to bowl.
seeing as how this is my first real foray into sociability in sometime, and i was going with a massive headache, i was a tad bit apprehensive. but as usual, stephanie managed to bring together a bunch of fun people, and a good time was had, particularly by me, who had the high score for the evening. not that that has anything to do with it of course;)
more pics here.
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