by Halee, age 12

As a present for my Winter Solstice holiday, I received three ornaments from my father. Each one had a fairy tale scene on it. One was a fairy and her unicorn standing together, another was of them riding together, and another of her flying nearby. Each one had a word inscribed on the back. The words were FLOURISH, ENLIGHTEN, and UNDERSTAND. Being me, I find more truth and reason in these words than my parents probably do, or at least I see them in a different way.

For a while I sort of sat in my room, holding these keepsakes, holding inspirations upon them, and simply pondering them. I often ponder things that probably aren’t worth pondering, but this time it was worth it. Each of the words I found a reason for in my life with horses, and though the Christmas / Winter Solstice / Kwanzaa / Hanukkah holiday is over, I do find them extremely important even after the season. Actually, I think the meanings of the words will hold onto me for much longer than this winter. Now without further ado, I guess I should say what the words mean to me in terms of riding and horses in general. I warn you some parts of it will be about what has happened this year, so I suppose it’s kind of a blog about remembering the year.

FLOURISH. When you think of the word, at first you probably think of a garden of plentiful flowers growing in the sun. I know I did. After thinking longer about the word’s meaning to me, I realized this keepsake was about how I have flourished this year. This year I have gotten a greater understanding of horses and riding, and have allowed my riding itself to flourish. During our young years we are expected to flourish as part of our growing, but come the new year think of how you wish to flourish. Whether it be in riding, learning, experience, or all or none of the above, you can flourish this year and next and for years to come with a bit of enlightenment and understanding. So, think about it. How have you flourished this year, and how do you wish to flourish next year and the years following?

ENLIGHTEN. Now having flourished with new understanding, I began to ponder this next word. Enlighten; at first it made me think of a light bulb coming on. No, no. That could not be right. After a moment I realized it meant to be inspired by something. That was not right either. If I was reading a definition for a teacher it would be, but for the year and for what the word meant to me it was not and is not right. Wait, this year I had been enlightened. Not only with this new inspiration of writing and ambition, but realizing that I was not the only horse hungry girl on this planet. No, I was enlightened and am in many ways. This year I have given many hours of working beside my beloved equine friends, this year I have matured by enduring a death, and this year I have researched and grown, flourished. I think we all have, not just horse people, but everyone. Tell me that in the course of this year, in the course of your lifetime, that you have not been inspired by something or someone. This year what I was enlightened by most was my best non-human friend in the world, Vifill.

Vifill, a prize-winning flashy stallion in his days of youth, is now a lesson horse for the disabled where I used to work. Now the Icelandic stallion’s coat is a reddish dull color and his back is swayed, but he is still his stubborn and beautiful self. He has taught me much this year about life. Some call him a devil (actually most do) but I call him my angel. I have nevered learned from other calm, bomb-proof horses (bless their hearts) as much as I have from this single stubborn steed. I love him to pieces and I am pleased to say that soon he will be closer to me–he is coming to retire near my residance. So, really think about it. What, this year and before this year, has enlightened you and why?

UNDERSTAND. I knew the meaning of course, everyone with half a brain does. But, as with the other words, there was more to this word than on the surface. Soon I knew what it meant as well. This year I have learned to understand when it is time to give up, when I can no longer fight. This year I have gained a greater understanding of the relationship between me and my darling Vifill, the unbreakable bond that is soon bringing him closer to me. Not only that, but this year I have grown, flourished, to understand that there was more to the world than flashy national championship mounts.

Up until meeting my darling stallion, I had only wished for such horses of such talents. I am ashamed to say that when I first lay eyes on my boy, I detested him merely for his appearence. I did not even bother to even want–merely to want for god’s sake–to know more of his past, to understand that there was more to this frog prince than what meets the eye. Yes, there was so much more than this! While I wasn’t aware of it, soon my nasty impression of him slid away after many hours of working alongside him and the students of the riding program he was at, and after silent moments alone with him the times I snuck into the barn when no one was there (shush–that’s our little secret). This year I am glad to understand that there is more than meets the eye. I wonder, what have my fellow horse crazed young ladies come to have understand?

As you probably have connected by now, flourishing, enlightenment, and understanding all go hand in hand, skipping merrily together down a barn aisle of horse memories. Maybe I have made too much out of three simple keepsakes, but they mean much to me now as not only a gift from a loved one, but as symbols of this year and the years to come. Hopefully I, and all of us, will flourish, be enlightened, and come to understand not only our horse lives better, but our family and school lives and our lives as a whole. Kind of makes you feel like you have a million secret identities, right? I know. Soon you’ll see that all your lives come together in not really harmony, but fit together like….like…you are actually a whole person. Think about it, how do you want to grow in different parts of your life and why?

Just a little bit to get you all to think. I wish happy holidays, and furthermore a happy year and life, for all you wonderful girls, young women, and women.

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