Tuesday, May 22, 2007

World Championship Life

My mom is the latest in a string of folks telling me I have to read The Secret.

Whenever someone tells me this, they then go on to tell me what the secret is: If you believe in your dream you can make it come true. The book, I've been told, is full of stories of dreamers who made their dreams come true.

All well and good. However, I don't need to read the book because I already believe this premise and put it into action daily.

I get up every morning, go outside, feed my horses, and ride. I do this every day because I am a forty-six-year-old mother of two who has an Olympic dream. Seriously.

I know the odds of me realizing my dream are small, although not without precedent. A couple of Olympics ago, a retired mounted police officer named Klaus Balkenhol rode on the German dressage team when he was in his sixties. (Today he is the coach of the US Dressage team.) He won an individual medal and the German team won the gold medal (as they always do).

Mr. Balkenhol is my talisman against skeptics (read: Tim). If he can do it, so can I. The dream keeps me going out to the barn every day: saddling up, riding, mucking stalls, hauling water buckets, reading, learning, growing, exercising (body and mind). I often think of another secret I read somewhere that went like this: This is not your practice life. This is your World Championship Life. Play it like you mean it.

Even though my chances, as Tim would say, are slim and none, I hold tight to my Olympic dream.

Here's the real secret: With my dream, I might not make the Olympics. Without my dream, I definitely won't make it.

6 comments:

Tracey said...

Didn't read the book either, but I am inspired by your blog...I love this. I wil be quoting you in my mind all day while I get my ass doing something toward my dream. Thanks.

Eva said...

I love this post. Isn't it true,'this is not our practice life'... Thanks for the inspiration!

Queenie said...

Today while I was standing under a tree, talking to The World's Greatest Aunt, a bird above pooped in my hair. I unfortunately thought it was a chunck of wood from the woodpecker above, who has been pounding on my tree since early spring. To brush this chuck of wood from my hair, I brushed my hand over the top of my head to find black and white goop in the palm of my hand. After I was done cleaning up this bird's mess I was thinking I have already completed one dream. A BIG DREAM. A dream that has taken years to complete and has consumed so much time and energy. Tonight a question remains - What's going to be my next dream? I have soo many to complete but am I ready to put forth all the time and energy. I think I need a break.

Piddler said...

Tracey,

What is your dream? Is it to do with writing or something else?

Eva,

I'm glad you were inspired. Thanks for visiting and leaving a note.

Queenie,

I'm assuming your dream was not being pooped on by a bird; rather the completion of college? Feel free to elaborate. So happy to see you here! Love ya!

S said...

i'm glad you're going for it. what else is life for, really?

Piddler said...

Slouching Mom,

I agree. I feel like I wasted so much time when I was young. I'm trying to make up for it now before my body falls apart.