Be Observant

Today I discovered a very important characteristic about a horse at the farm, which I call one of my favorite giants. Since the beginning of the semester, all the horses have had to be bundled with one to two very heavy winter blankets. However, today the weather was so beautiful that those heavy, and rather stinky, blankets were taken off. Immediately, all the newly naked horses ran around without the restrictions of their blankets and rolled in the damp snow to scratch their backs. I did not take a good look at all the giants until I went to do afternoon chores. Surprisingly, none of the ponies at the old barn did anything lacking common sense today. I seem to be doing a fantastic job of teaching them to go into empty stalls quickly. Thank goodness they are learning.

After completing all the major feedings, my friend Jess and I waited for Gabe, Limerick, and Sangha to finish eating. We watched all the horses chew merrily away at their hay and grain. The two biggest girls were given the nicknames “Big Mama” and “Fiona.” I was petting Big Mama, also known as Kelsey, when Sangha wandered over to me, so I could take off his feedbag. Then, I noticed something vitally important about Sangha. Sangha, in fact is a she not a he. My favorite giant is a girl. This is a special moment in history, because I do not usually like mares. Sangha, however, is not your typical mare. She is actually sweet and very friendly instead of distant and snobbish. I took of her feedbag and she followed me to the pasture gait. Jess commented on her simple beauty and Sangha seemed to understand completely, but of course she did, who would miss her gorgeous features. Her eyes flickered in the setting sun as she rested her head over the gait and in my hands. I scratched behind her ears and sent her off to claim a hay pile.

Sometimes I miss the slightest facts that always end up being very important. I seem to be observant about the things that do not need much observation. There is something to work on. I am so blessed and amused about the little things that open my eyes and teach me important lessons. Still, I am not full of as much thanksgiving as I really should be about those lessons. It is still the beginning of the New Year even though February is tomorrow. I have made another New Year’s resolution. Hopefully, I can continue to make resolutions and not break them.

No Worries.

I listened to a song the other day that has been gracing radio stations since the end of last summer. This song, never really stuck out to me, caught my attention, or seemed applicable to my life. However, as I was listening to it this afternoon, a few verses screamed at me. Screamed metaphorically speaking that is. Today, those verses spoke to me, and I could relate. In the song “One Step At A Time” by Jordan Sparks, the fifth phrase gave me an epiphany. The verse states,

"You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet. Wonder when and where and how you’re going to make it. You know you can if you get the chance. In your face, the doors keep slamming (© Crosstown Songs UK Limited; Cutfather Publishing Limited; Laurel Krown Publishing)."

I have been feeling this way a little bit lately. For my entire life I have switched back and forth on the subject of what I want to do when I grow up. Now that I am in college, I pretty much have that decided. It only took one major change/rude awakening to figure it out. No worries, last semester has not scarred me that bad. In fact, last semester is what has allowed me to get my thoughts straight and decide what I want to do with my life. Since October of last year, I have known exactly what I want to do with my life. I love my new major in the College of Human Sciences, and still have time to not let college get in the way of my equine education. There is only one problem…

I want to show the world how I can help people with equine therapy, but no one knows my name. I wonder about when and where and how this is going to happen. I have no doubt that I can do this, but I have yet to see a chance. I see a door opening to a world full of ideas, but it closes in my face. That sounds a whole lot like a verse in Jordan Sparks’ song doesn’t it? It is funny that I was thinking and feeling this, and then decided to listen to “One Step At A Time.” Wow.

Although, this verse of the song, illustrates my thoughts at this present time, it goes on. As I continued to listen I realized that, maybe I am jumping the gun. I am only a freshman, I should be worrying about getting through my three tests next week instead of after I graduate. The song goes on to say “One step at a time there’s no need to rush…It’s gonna happen and it’s supposed to happen (© Crosstown Songs UK Limited; Cutfather Publishing Limited; Laurel Krown Publishing).” Exactly! Why rush? I have all the time I need. When the time comes, it will come. I just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. Thank God for music, because sometimes the right song plays right when you need to hear it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzyys6kW8yg

Cyberstalker? No, It's just Ryan.

Judging by this day and age I would assume that just about every person, if not every person, uses instant messaging. It is a common way of communication that is beginning to cause lack of face-to-face communication. However, that is not my point today, rather the unexpected messages that come up every once in a while. I am sure that this has happened to everyone. It does not seem to be to out of ordinary. Still, it can be very startling. When I get a random message from someone it is because I gave him or her my screen name, but the other day, this was not the case.

I was sitting at my computer doing homework as usual. As I was just about to quit my instant messaging, I received a message. The message did not make me nervous until I clicked the screen to read it. I gave a quick glance at the message, which read, “mwhahahahaha.” Judging by this odd laughing, I glanced at the screen name of the sender expecting it to be my brother, but did not recognize the name. This caused me to worry, and all that ran through my head were the words “crazy stranger.” I began to feel like I was being watched. In the strong point of this feeling I began to look around as if I were to find some hidden cameras behind a picture frame or something along those lines. After, a quick glance around my room and out in the hallway, I decided to respond. I answered the message with “hello, who is this?” Yet again the sender sent “mwhahahahaha.” At this point I was ready to sign off, and release the feeling that I was being watched by webcam. The unidentified stranger, messaged again, but this time with an ellipses. I thought to myself that maybe, I should be able to figure out who this person is. Unfortunately the strong feeling of, I think I am being watched, overcame my intelligence. While I was thinking of stalkers, the random sender sent me another message, but this time it said “it’s Ryan.” When I read this, all the oh my goodness I am being watched, stalked, and hunted down by strangers thoughts vanished from my brain. I responded with a quick “hey! How are you?” in hopes that, that would cover up my hesitation to talk beforehand.

After, I finished talking to Ryan, I looked at his screen name. Then I realized, if I had just read the screen name more carefully I would have known who was messaging me right away. His last name is even in his screen name. Wow, I can be a little ignorant sometimes, or maybe I watch too much CSI.

Where are the good alarm clocks?

Sometimes I wonder about modern technology. It seems as though it is taking over the world one step at a time. With the constant use of instant messaging and text messaging young adults are losing their ability to communicate in person as well as read common human body language. This bothers me a little, but it does not worry me, it makes me worry for future generations. What will be invented next? How about a decent alarm clock? My alarm clock, not being very old, decided to have a mind of its own. This makes me think about all the wonderful technology in the world, and the fact that there is not a decent alarm clock.

I woke up yesterday to my alarm clock rattling the windows. It has been gradually getting louder and louder over the past few weeks. However, yesterday it hit the epitome of strange. I got up and attempted to turn it off, but the off button turned the clock radio on. When that failed, I tried the snooze button, and when that did not work I pressed every button on the clock. The radio and the insanely loud beeping of the alarm clock would not turn off at all. Therefore, I smacked it, and following the hard smack, it finally turned off. I climbed down from my loft and unplugged the clock and threw it in the trash.

All I want is an alarm clock that works for more than a few months, and is wired so every button does a different thing. Is that too much to ask for? With all the engineers that I know, I hereby challenge them to make an eco-friendly, reliable alarm clock. Until then, I guess I will just have to deal with the annoyance.

On Dumpster Diving: Week 2 Summary

In the article, On Dumpster Diving, by Lars Eigher, Eigher proves his thesis about the knowledge he gained while dumpster diving with great knack. He begins by describing how it is imperative to know what is harmful to consume and what is not. While he is discussing this point he informs the reader about the importance of scoping out the good dumpsters and stopping by them frequently. After he gives some insight into food safety and his favorite dumpster locations, he travels into the issue of people’s wastefulness. Eigher uses college student’s ignorance to prove his point, because he mentions college dumpsters as being good choices to rummage through. Once he gets past his college student example, he gives some insight into how to test how safe a piece of food or beverage actually is.

Once Eigher has finished describing food safety and good dumpster locations he presents the point of how other things can be found in dumpsters as well. He stresses that articles of clothing and people’s personal belongings such as diaries are found frequently. Although Eigher does an excellent job of keeping a positive tone, he points out that there are dangers in dumpster diving as well. He mentions that it is not the best way to live, but if a person must dumpster dive they should not be ashamed. Finally, he expresses that he is sorry for people who do not understand what true value really means and the importance of making the best of what you have.

Intelligent Minds: Once in a while

No matter how much I love horses I still seem to wonder about their intelligence, often. They are just animals, so I cannot expect too much, but still, horses are beautiful creatures, I can expect more from them than the average cat. I was doing my normal Saturday afternoon chores up at the farm. As usual I started feeding the horses at the old barn first. Normally, I let all the horses in and they find their respected stalls. They know where to go, but today, there was a disturbance in the equine force. It seemed that an arch nemesis messed with all their brains. First of all, none of them wanted to come into the barn to eat their grain. Knowing horses this situation is not just weird it is crazy weird. After much persuading, Scarlet decided to bite the bullet and come into the barn. Only one stall door was open, so one would assume she would just enter into that stall. On the contrary, Scarlet walked right past that stall and into the smallest corner of the barn.

While scarlet was standing and sniffing around in the dark corner, I closed the door to the pasture. I did this so no other horses, for example Joe, would come into the barn and wreck havoc. Scarlet began sniffing around and twitching oddly. I walked over to her saying her name. Her head then began moving rapidly from left to right. My first thought, was oh my goodness, she thinks she is stuck. I backed away a little just in case if Scarlet was getting nervous that I was going to smack her or do something terrible to her. It seemed as though Scarlet was claustrophobic. She continued to look left and right rapidly and then finally tried to turn around. I was watching her bump into the walls left and right. The funny thing was, all she had to do was back up, therefore, she really was not stuck, like she thought. I began to talk to Scarlet, telling her to back up. After about five minutes, she just stopped trying altogether, similar to a small child about to have a temper tantrum. Then I decided to squeeze next to her, and move toward her head. I maneuvered my way to her head, and she was a little bit jumpy. Once I got to her head, I put my hand on her head, and applied some pressure. Scarlet slowly backed up and then walked forward into the open stall.

I closed the stall door, and stroked Scarlet on her forehead. She looked around, as if she was wondering about what had just happened. Then she looked at me, perked up her ears, and sneezed. I cleaned the residue from my face, had a quick laugh, and then went back to doing the rest of my chores. Scarlet was going to recover perfectly.

Look Before You Leap

The expression “look before you leap” is not something that I have ever actually listened to. I do at the very least think before I say most things, which is definitely a plus. Even with all the icy sidewalks I do not pay much attention to where I am stepping. Therefore, I fall often, which always brings about some laughter among my friends, even if they were not present to witness the actual fall. I even see other people fall, but usually they are walking slowly and stepping with caution before they hit the ground. Seeing people who are walking fall is expected, however, I have never seen anyone running fall. Why do they not fall all the time? Then I realized that walkers, like myself, don’t look at where they are stepping. On the contrary, runners are scooping out the footing ahead of them and picking the safest path. This is smart, I would never think to do that. I ride horses, my horse is the one who is supposed to be looking at the ground.

With some observation of a runner’s gracefulness and lack of falling I discovered that runners actual do abide by the “look before you leap” motto. If a runner is watched closely enough any individual would be able to notice his or her eyes analyzing the sidewalk or road ahead. They are proving that the statement will be a protector if used properly. Why not apply it’s symbolic meaning to more things in life. For example, checking if the leftover food is no spoiled before consuming it, or looking both ways before crossing the street. All these fall into the “look before you leap” category. Still, it cannot always be a way to protect oneself.

I was riding with my roommate in her car on the way to the mall. We were stopped at a stoplight. A runner was running across the street, he was thoroughly scanning the slightly snow covered sidewalk he was about to travel on to. There was a huge snow bank that he would have to climb over in order to get on the sidewalk. I could see him looking up and over the snow bank. His face had a look of “it is safe” on it. My roommate and I were both just sitting and waiting for the light when my roommate said, “I bet he falls.” I had to mention that the runner thoroughly analyzed the sidewalk before he made it to the middle of the crosswalk. Therefore, he would probably be fine. Instantly after I finished explaining my reasoning, the runner leaped right over the snow bank, hit some ice, fell, and slide into the streetlight. I felt so bad for the poor guy, because he was cautious but yet his caution did nothing for him. His failure taught me something. Looking before you leap, is a good thing to abide by, but it cannot always save you. Sometimes you actually have to fall in order to learn something. I bet that the fallen runner will never again jump over a snow bank at such a fast pace. His mistake reminded about something very important. Sometimes we fall, but the honor comes to the people who pick themselves up.

I Thought I Had to Watch for Ice

While I was taking a little homework break I stumbled upon this rather ironic photograph. My first reaction was laughter, because I never had to process a Polar bear slipping on ice in my mind before.

After the initial period of laughter had deceased this picture brought me to think of current environmental issues. Will there soon not be any ice for a Polar bear to slip on? Once I thought about this, I changed my question to what if there soon will be no Polar bears to slip altogether? I was brought to this question because of the commercials about the depletion of Polar bears I see on television every time I watch a show. Will they soon be extinct? I find this to be incredibly sad because of the constant abuse of the environment. This planet, it not just home for people, it is also home to every living being. I believe that this planet was given to us by God, and that we are supposed to be good stewards of it. However, I see very little of this everyday. I see people throw their soda bottles on the ground, when they could be recycling them. Such little things damage a beautiful planet.

It is true that the planet is being taken for granted. We are such self-centered inhabitants. Our behavior is what causes other resources on our planet to suffer and deplete. Just imagine if everyone in the United States made a New Year's resolution to recycle, use reusable bags, conserve water, walk more, ride a bike, or volunteer. That would mean change, but it would send a message. Even some little things could go a long way. Therefore, I don't think a change in the lifestyles of Americans is a bad thing. It would make us better stewards of our home, and even save other earthly inhabitants like Polar bears as well. The way I see it, this is a time for change. Our new president has been emphasizing the word "change" throughout his entire campaign. So, let's wake up and make some changes.

What is Normal?

There are many different things in this world that baffle me. I am constantly wondering about so many different things. The thoughts that run through my head change so rapidly that sometimes I can’t remember all the things that I have thought about in one day. I have no doubts that this is normal, but then my mind takes me to the question, “what is normal?” With all the diversity in the world, how can there be a definite definition of normal? I tie this with family. With all the different families in the world, how can there be one definition of family? Simply, I believe, that there cannot be one definition of family or normal. Those two words can mean different things to different people. Still, I always find myself asking the question, what is normal? No matter what goes through my head in one day, whether I remember it or not, I always want to know what is normal.

Today, I really thought it through. I broke it down in my head and decided, that normal can really only refer to the status of a medical procedure, behavior of your car, and other situations along those lines. When someone tells someone else, “that they are not normal” based on their personality that can always be debated. I am not much of a debater and I am often easily persuaded. However, I don’t understand why people can’t think of a different word than normal to describe someone’s personality. Try to pick an adjective that isn’t perceived differently by every person.

Describing someone’s individual personality as normal is just too blunt for me. I used to be the queen of blunt as well as viewing things in the black and white sense. Today, I am learning to not always look at the surface, but deeper. By changing my view on what normal really means, I can see so many different cultures that grace the Ames community and worldwide. It is indeed beautiful. I have learned that what is normal in one culture may not be normal in a different culture. Therefore, I will now not refer to someone who is different as not normal. Instead, I will think of a different word to describe them. This is because the differences that they possess bring beauty, significance, and mystery into the world. Without these differences, there would not be as much to learn or think about. There would be less excitement in everyday surroundings. Embrace difference, it is truly a miraculous thing.

Equine Denis the Menace

My normal Saturday consists of getting up at the butt crack of dawn and heading over to the farm to feed the horses. I was pleased that my alarm clock wasn’t possessed this morning, but I still had to climb through the Amazon jungle of Christmas lights. Next time I will be sure to bring a machete just in case a monkey or wild animal decides to jump out of the Christmas light vines. You can never be too careful. I quietly got ready for the farm and went out to Kermit the Frog (my car, that looks a little frogish). It wasn’t too cold this morning, which made my morning venture much more pleasant. I drove to the barn.

When I got to the barn I began with feeding Joe, Scarlet, Marek, Frieda, and baby Ida. This is what I normally do first. While they are eating their scrumptious morning rations of compressed oat pellets, I spread some hay out in the pasture. Ida was still eating when I finished this task so I decided to muck out Scarlet and Joe’s stalls. Scarlet didn’t really pay much attention to me as I was cleaning away, so I finished cleaning her stall rather quickly. I then moved on to clean Joe’s stall. It didn’t take me long; he is a rather clean boy (how ironic). As I was taking the muck bucket out of his stall I turned and shut his door. I moved the muck bucket and turned around just to see Joe push open his door and run out the barn.

I grabbed the first halter and lead rope I could see and walked out of the barn after Joe muttering, about how ignorant this pony is. He left his food you know, that is not something ponies do very often. I turned the corner and was headed down to the new barn, where Joe was headed. He was trotting in a zigzag down the driveway and seemed to be enjoying himself. The worst part is he was completely aware that his enjoyment was making my job a pain in, the you know what. I followed him down the driveway. He saw me coming and leaped five feet into the air and ran through the snow. Because he is an incognizant pony he had no idea how deep the snow was. Still, he pressed on through the snow. Soon, he found himself up to his belly in snow. He looked like such a fool the only thing that crossed my mind was what a Kodak moment. I gave a quick giggle and was sure I would catch him now. As soon as I was close enough to toss the lead rope over his neck he jumped into the driveway and went around the barn.

The only thought that was going through my head now, is I better get some grain, he will come to grain, ponies love food. I walked into the barn, and saw Jada cleaning some stalls. I told her of Joe’s need for speed and she came and helped me catch him. Of course, Joe thought this was a great game and wanted to run far away from us. Little did he know, that we were just standing in the same place along with all the other horses watching him make a fool of himself. He kept running back and forth, probably saying “na na na na na.” I couldn’t help but smile. How could running around with no one even chasing or showing interest in you be so much fun? This little pony was having the time of his life running around in the snow and I suppose for once in his life, he felt like he was a wild brumbi from Australia. He ran and ran and ran. I just kept laughing at his perked ears and bright eyes. His happiness was making my job ever so humorous. Eventually he got bored of us not chasing him and he stopped right in front of me. He put his head down low and was breathing rather heavy from his adventure. I put the halter on his head, and together we walked back up to the old barn.

Reflective Essay: Perception of My Identity

Imagine having to move far away from a familiar place at the commencement of your senior year. That is exactly what I had to do the summer before I began my senior year of high school in Massachusetts. My father had gotten a job at Cono Christian School in Walker, Iowa. As a result my mother, my father, the horses, and I packed up and moved to Iowa. I had to leave a place I had called home for eleven years, my older brother and sister, and friends I had known for a little over a decade. Massachusetts was my home, and where I had developed the roots to my personal identity. I knew little about my identity before I came to Iowa. However, after the completion of my senior year, I learned a lot about who I am, and how I operate. Moving to Iowa was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but my personal identity is no longer a foundation, it is a two-story house.

When I arrived in Iowa, I was simply disoriented and in denial. I could not believe I had to move to the state that is most often forgotten when naming all fifty states. The people around me were different, and much more friendly than I was used to. I felt out of place and did not know how to describe myself to people. All I knew about myself was that I love horses, and everything that goes with it. I did not have personal views on political issues or opinions about certain subjects. In my one-track mind all I could express about my identity was my love for horses. I felt as though I couldn’t identify myself with my new home. My home in Massachusetts was all that crossed my mind, and I was not willing to give that up and move forward.

Being stuck in my denial was not helping my foundational identity grow into the two-story house it is now. I was constantly thinking of what I used to have, and that the only thing I could relate with were my horses. No one seemed to notice that I was stuck in a snowdrift, until one day a new friend of mine made an eye opening comment. She told me that, “if I was going to move forward, I was going to have to accept the fact that I was in Iowa.” This comment went into my ears and lodged itself in my cerebellum. I pondered what she said, and then took action. Quickly I began to make many friends, I joined the volleyball team, made the tour choir, and progressed in my classes. I even developed a best friend relationship with a girl who helped me adjust to my new home. Ironically, she was from Massachusetts as well. She helped me discover that life exists in more than one place, and no matter where I live I have to be all that I can be.

After, I had made a place for myself in my new school and home, it did not go unnoticed. Many of my teachers told me how much I had grown, and developed my personality. I developed and organized my views, tried new things, and learned how to adapt and embrace change. I did not even give up on horses, they are the foundation of my identity, and I had build on them. Being in Iowa, helped me to figure out that I am laid back, and am unconsciously humorous. Those new developed characteristics facilitated my transition to college. They even helped me to figure out that horses are not the only things that I am good at. This huge change and uprooting of my home built on my identity. I am now stronger and daily challenges do not throw me off track.

My identity is still building, but it is no longer a foundation. I feel it has a strong foundation, but there is so much more to it now than there ever was before. Sometimes the hardest things that must be done do not damage a person’s identity. Instead they only make it stronger.

The Man in the Pink Pajamas

I woke up this morning to the blasting of my alarm clock, which to my surprise, the sound of the infernal beeping was ten times louder than usual. Quickly I sat up in my loft, in utter terror because the beeping was so loud. In my mind I knew the sound, but still I was scared because it was so loud. I shut it off, while feeling my body shake. Yes I was shaking because I was so freaked out. Then, I immediately thought about my roommate, who is sleeping in her bed just beneath me. I looked down to see if my chthonic alarm clock had scared the living daylights out of her too. To my dismay she wasn’t there. I then thought about where she was, and if I was supposed to be aware of the fact that she was not there. It turns out she stayed with a friend because of the Antarctic cold weather. As a result her car would not start. I learned of this via a text message.

After I had climbed down from my bed, I was almost decapitated by my roommate’s fallen Christmas lights. They are taped to the ceiling with gorilla tape, but still can’t seem to stay stuck to the ceiling. Already I was irritated with my psycho alarm clock, so I thrust my arm to get the hanging lights out of my tired face. However, the thrust of my arm failed to get the lights out of my face. Instead, my arm got caught in the lights and I accidentally pulled down another row of lights. After this altercation with the lights, I sighed and moved to the door to turn on the real lights. I looked back into my room and noticed that many of her ceiling lights had fallen. Knowing me it is a miracle that I did not trip over several loose cords while making my way to turn on the “actual” lights. I muttered to myself about how, we were going to have to fix this later. Crawling back over a fallen wire, I grabbed my flip flops and headed to the bathroom.

I walked out of my room and into the empty hallway. All I could hear were the sounds of the showers. I walked to the first bathroom, which was occupied so I continued down the hall to the next one. To my irritation it was also occupied. As I turned around to go back down the hallway, a boy came out of the bathroom. He was quite the sight for sore eyes. He was dressed in a pink tee shirt with pink and purple pajama pants with hearts printed on them. The first thought that ran through my mind was this guy is very secure with his masculinity or he is completely and utterly gay. He turned and looked at me, and then briskly jogged into a nearby room. Obviously he isn’t gay and he isn’t very secure. I just walked into the bathroom, a little disturbed and in disbelief of what I just saw. As I walked into the bathroom and turned on the lights, and this unidentified boy had left the toilet seat up. Being a girl and all, this is really annoying. Come on ladies, tell your boyfriends to have some common courtesy and put the toilet seat down. Then I thought I was glad he at least put it up so he didn’t miss and hit the seat. Anyway, I headed back to my room, maneuvered over the fallen lights, looked in the mirror and burst out laughing. This was going to be a good day.