At this time last year, I felt stuck with a house that I couldn't sell, no tenant to help with the mortgage, and lots of repairs before it could go back on the market. I had one retired horse with little potential except for short,positive-reinforcement training sessions in his pasture because any more than that was overwhelming to him; it was easy to set ourselves back to zero, which I tried to avoid at all costs because I had started over with this horse numerous times.
Once my house had all the repairs completed, a motivated buyer came forward and it sold at the end of May. That was a lot of time to wait, be patient, sit with the situation rather than drive drive drive, which is my normal mode. It wasn't just sitting on the house that forced me to sit and wait. Numerous other minor and major situations have come up over the years that required sitting. Thankfully I learned to knit several years ago. Sitting is easier if my hands are busy, which calms the gerbils in my brain.
Things started to fall into place right after my house sold, repairs and mortgage paid off. We went on a long vacation back east to visit family and have a memorial service. The weekend after we returned I adopted a lovely mustang gelding. Those 24 hours were the most intense I can remember in a long time. My friend with a horse trailer (dangerous combination) drove me 3 hours to the mustang event, asked me important questions about what I wanted and pointed me in directions when I was lost. A bunch of friends out of nowhere circled me during the bidding, encouraged me when I wanted to quit, cheered when I kept going, and whooped when I won. I'll never forget locking eyes with the auctioneer when she told me that "Thor" was mine.
Thor's name changed to "Odin" immediately. He has proved to be thoughtful and perhaps wise. He has opinions and preferences but is willing to change his mind when I prove the situation is safe and maybe even a little fun. It's almost been a year since he was gathered from the wild and it's hard to tell as he's easily adjusted to domestic life. Food shows up twice a day and water is easily found in the same location time and time again. His paddock is in the middle of the "herd" and predators are few and far between.
Then I bought a new Ford F350 and a used horse trailer. These tools open up a lot of options for the future, after the truck has a few miles on it, the trailer has a few minor repairs.
Training has been slow and steady. After the initial couple months I've been able to figure out things on my own. Odin has been relatively easy and I have great coaching when I can't figure out how to move forward with a particular problem. Bridling at first then trailer loading were the biggest challenges but he seems okay with both after going forward slowly, consistently, with lots of patience and rewards. Our next step is to get out on the trails with friends. I expect things to go smoothly but we've had to be patient about getting out due to holiday season obligations and weather. 2019 will be the year for getting out on trails, maybe trying a few new things once he understands steering and self-carriage.
In 2018 I noticed my dog, Jodee, showing her age. She turned 13 in November. Her comfort is a huge priority.
In 2018 I interviewed for several jobs and got the promotion at my home agency. Advancement and enjoyment of my work is a huge priority.
In 2018 I missed bicycling and skiing. I had an opportunity to ski today but my sore foot is protesting getting squished into a ski boot and my brain is tired of peopling. Twitter keeps notifying me when parking lots at the ski areas fill. That's too many people after all the peopling.
It's a challenge to balance all the number 1 priorities and include all the fun things, especially when they're all fun things; however, 2018 is done and I predict that 2019 will look a lot different.