Saddle Seat Wednesday
My transmogrification into a curmudgeon continues apace.
Several years ago, when I started spending weekends at saddle seat shows, I had hoped to share my hotel room. I would save money. I would get to Visit! With! People! I would be In! The! Thick! Of! Things!
Alas, saddle seat is a social sport. One family might have multiple generations showing. Another family might have one member showing but accompanied by everyone from youngest sibling to Grandma. Hotel rooms tended to have 3 to 4 people in them already. Saddened, I would slink off to my lonely room, convinced that no one loved me. (Insecure? Moi?) I had a serious case of FOMO.
These days, not so much.
I have come to appreciate a quiet room to myself. I don’t have to wear my social face. I can stress out at 3 am without disturbing anyone. I don’t have to endure disorganized packing habits. The best case was having friends in the next room. I had my own space, but also people who might notice when the ooze crept under the adjoining door.
Either way, please excuse me. I’m going go be alone for a while.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
The older I get, the more I appreciate my alone time. Especially during a group event.
I have also found that I am more selective about my companions. I am much less likely to suffer fools gladly.
On the other hand, I appreciate my close friends and family more. Time with them is always rewarding.
I used to share sometimes when traveling to dog training or sports. But the first time I couldn’t find a roommate for a week long training, I found out how nice it was to be able to decompress from the long days and not worry about all of the stuff that accompanies sharing a room. I agree it’s nice to have your friends nearby but I’m with you on this one.
I’m getting to be the same at dance competitions. It was fun, for a while, to share (although most of the time I was chaperoning my partner’s junior students – sharing a room with 3 teenagers can be exhausting!) but I too find that the older I get, the more I enjoy being able to spread out exactly as I like.
Interesting that 3 of the 4 of us mention competitions. Perhaps we need the rest after the concentration of competition. Or perhaps that’s when we travel.