I Wanna Be a Pit Bull!

I Wanna Be a Pit Bull

This has been a wild and crazy year so far. I found out I was pregnant; I moved my store into a shopping center from the Equestrian Center where it was originally located; I sent my beloved first baby Syd to be leased and shown by a good friend, and on and on it goes.

A couple of days ago, a good friend of mine came by the store to say, "Hello!" and ask a tack question. As we have a tendency to do, our conversation turned a bit philosophical, and we ended up talking about small businesses (she has one as well) and not giving up when the going gets tough.  Last night I was thinking about that very conversation and an image popped into my mind. 

When I was single and working late at restaurants, I used to LOVE to watch "The David Letterman Show." (These days I'm doing good not to fall asleep by 9!) One of my favorite segments was "Stupid Animal Tricks." One night there was a Pit bull featured.  His owner had a tree trimming business, and he had taught the dog to "trim trees." Pit bulls are famous for the strength and power of their jaws. The show's producers brought out a small tree for the trick, and the dog proceeded to trim it by jumping up, grabbing branches and basically bouncing like he was on a bungee cord until the branch came off the tree.  This trick in itself was pretty amazing, but you couldn't get the full picture of how powerful this dog was until he grabbed hold of a very thick branch. The branch was determined to hold onto the tree, and the dog was determined to hold onto the branch.  David Letterman really wasn't quite sure what to do other than be impressed. The segment basically ended up going to commercial with the dog still dangling in mid air, holding the tree branch by his jaws. He may be hanging there still!  Needless to say, that Pit Bull and his owner won that night's "Stupid Animal Tricks."

My point is this... Life can get very hard. There are naysayers and doubters everywhere. Owning a small business is hard.  So is having a baby at 43! For that matter so is owning a small business and having a baby at 43 all at the same time!  It doesn't matter what it is you're struggling to do....What matters is the journey and staying the course.  No matter how hard it gets; no matter how much I scream or cry or get mad or frustrated, I wanna be that Pit Bull.  I wanna still be hanging onto that darned branch.  With a little help from God and family and friends, that's exactly what I'll be!

Not giving up!

Still hanging on...

A Time for Change

Well, 2012 is shaping up to be all about change. BIG change. SOOOOO much has happened since I last wrote a blog back in October. I wish I could go back and accurately and efficiently chronicle it all in great detail, but that would take page upon page upon page. I don't want to bore you. What I will do is try to sum up what has happened and what wonderful things are waiting in the wings.

First and foremost: I'M PREGNANT! If you're reading this, you probably already know me and have heard that little tidbit of information, but if not, I'M PREGNANT!
It came as a HUGE surprise to Tim and me. I'm 43 (gasp!) and we really didn't think it would ever happen...but just when you least expect it! Nathaniel "Nate" Sheldon Wadley will be an unbelievably miraculous blessing when he finally arrives this summer. He has already changed or is changing EVERYTHING from my business Lead Changes, to where we live, to what to do about my first baby, Syd. It's all happening very quickly, and a lot of it is still very much in the planning stages. I will add updates as they solidify. For now what I really what to talk about is "giving back."

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Uh Oh. Another diatribe on volunteering..." And you would be right. See here's the deal. After I had my riding accident several years ago, I didn't have a horse. Even after I bought the fabulous Syd, I didn't even think about hitting the show circuit until this past year. Since I desperately wanted to stay involved during those non-riding years, I started volunteering. I scribed; I jump judged; I painted fences; I picked up brush and hauled it to a burn pile; I was a show secretary, a ring steward; I made sandwiches...You get the picture: Wherever there was a need; you name it, I did it! And I am SO GLAD I did!!! You have no idea the wealth of information I picked up about my sport from doing all these different jobs! Even better then that: I met so many wonderful people. Horsepeople are some of the best folks around, and they love to talk "horse" with other horsepeople. I have talked horse with everyone from an 8 year old kid who aspires to ride at Rolex one day, to the volunteer coordinator FOR Rolex. I never would have met them without volunteering!

So here's what I really want to impress upon you: Show season is just about to really kick into high gear. I know we all can't wait! Most of your local shows, and even your area recognized events and recognized dressage shows, would NEVER happen without their volunteers. Volunteering isn't difficult; you don't have know anything at all...they'll usually teach you; and it doesn't have to be all weekend! Most shows are happy to have you for an hour or two! And I know we ALL have an hour or two at shows we could spare. So make all my fellow show secretaries and show organizers happy and volunteer a little bit of your time. You might be surprised at what you'll learn or who you'll meet! And hey! You MIGHT just have fun in the process.

And since I won't be showing this season, I'll be volunteering again myself. Hope to see you out there! (I'm stepping down from my soapbox now.) Happy 2012, and Happy riding!