Finding Your Passion - A Nine Year Old's Big Issue

It seems I have my first guest blogger. She's smart, funny, a great thinker and she's about to turn ten.  Recently, she's been a little concerned by the fact that she hasn't found her 'passion'. Its been worrying her, distracting her, causing many unwanted sighs and keeping her from sleeping soundly. Seriously, do you recall ever giving that much thought to such things when you were nine? Not me. At nine, my main stress revolved around whether the ice cream truck was going to pass by our street over the weekend or if I was going to be allowed to watch 'Countdown' on Sunday. Anyway, hallelujah, she thinks that perhaps she's found it. She really wanted to write about it (I figured that she's so often the unknowing subject of my various parenting gripes and triumphs I owed it to her!) so may I present to you, the newly passionate and freshly focused, Miss O.

IMAGE : THE MOTHER LOAD | Finding Your Passion

Hello. My name is O and Mum won't let me have my own blog so I'm taking over hers!

My First Lesson – Horse Riding Is My New Passion!

This weekend, I was lucky enough to have my two first horse Riding lessons! On Friday, we drove to the horse riding stud and met Robyn, our trainer, and my supplied horse, 'Kezzi'. Robyn was riding a horse called Ken. Ken’s previous owner was a real cowboy and didn’t handle Ken properly. When Robyn bought Ken, she could hardly touch him because he was so nervous. But luckily Robyn trained Ken very well and Ken is not so nervous now; he’s still not trustworthy enough but he’s getting there. Anyway, when we got into the big indoor arena, I got on Kezzi and started walking on the sandy surface. I wasn’t at all frightened or nervous or anything. I went around the arena along the walls twice, steering Kezzi as I went. Then I squeezed my heels around Kezzi and he started to get into a little trot. Robyn said when you trot you have to bounce up and down in a rhythm (sounds weird but it’s actually not). Up, down, up, down, up, down. I was in ‘trot formation’ and I was bouncing up and down, squeezing Kezzi when suddenly I found myself cantering!!!! I stopped by pulling the reins and was so proud of myself. Mum and Nonna were waving at me from the grandstand and they were proud too. I started trotting again to try and improve my skills then it was time to finish up. Robyn had said that I looked like a natural horse rider!

The next day, I was lucky enough to be allowed to go back again for another lesson with Robyn, and my new horse friend Kezzi. We got into the arena once more, and Robyn was riding a different horse. I met a girl called Bella and she using her brother’s horse called Chubby. (We called him Chubby Bubby!) Anyway, I was trotting, up, down, up, down, and I got into a canter once again. It felt great! I love going fast! Again I wasn’t scared and just kept cantering. Finally I slowed down to a walking pace because I had to work on steering properly. You really have to be strict and firm with your horse! I got it in the end and started cantering once again. I was doing pretty well for my second lesson! Then Kezzi started slowing down. That was a sign that he had enough. So I got off, put my helmet away and said goodbye to Robyn and Kezzi. That was a big weekend!!

I’ve been looking for my passion for a long time, and I felt worried that I didn’t have one. So many other friends of mine seem to have theirs, I thought I would never have one of my own. Now I think I may have found it! I love horse riding!

Nice work, my newly passionate manure-mucking cherub. Now perhaps we can get some serious amounts of blissful sleep, okay?

There's nothing better than seeing your kids try something new, stretch themselves and really embrace it.  Now to go and tell Daddy he needs to get that second job.... (giddy up!)