New Perspectives

Anger pounds through me, undermining any other emotions I might have. I'm done. Done with school, done with my 'friends.' Done with my life, done with everything. It's too much to deal with and right now I'm not sure I can ever forget how I feel. Then I step in the barn, let the sand and sawdust stick to the hem of my jeans. I get my horse out of his stall, begin to groom and tack up. Curry comb, hoof pick. Martingale, saddle, bridle. When I'm finished, I take the reins, lead him out to the bottom of the hill, and climb on. Instantly, I see beauty in everything. In the creek, in the trees, and especially in the sheen of the horse's coat. We start up the hill. Pretty soon, I begin to smile as the anger that consumed me before slips away unnoticed. This is always where I do my best thinking, where my thoughts can't be blocked by negativity and cynicism. Out here, I'm reminded that some things are worth living for. Listening to the horse's rhythmic hoofbeats relaxes me for a while, but then I remember: I'm supposed to be mad. I try to remember why I am but I can't recall the reasons. I try to find them, but instead I find freedom. Freedom and Happiness. One always finds a new perspective on life from the back of a horse.