Random Thoughts
The world is vast & weird.
Today is my birthday. 57 years old. I have three years before I turn 60. Moving quickly past the existential angst, I decided to steal be inspired by See Jane Write: Help Me Create My 40 Before 40 List.
So, a list of things I would like to do in the next three years. Some are simple; some are complex. Some are realistic; some would require a holodeck. A handful are broken into stages, mainly the riding ones. Doing all of them is mutually incompatible.
0 Baseline. Continue to be happily married to this wonderful dude. Have my health. Keep our horses at home. Have time to enjoy all of the foregoing.
So, this list is basically the life I have now, just doing a better job with it. Since this is a horse blog, I start there.
Horses
Half of the goals are horse-related (34/60). Sounds about right. Disciplines listed in reverse alphabetical order [A-List].
Travel
1 See the Western States Trail Ride in person. Volunteer? [Tevis Cup Magic]
2 Take a mule ride in the Grand Canyon.
3 Attend the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.
4 See a performance of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. I’ve see a practice in Vienna. I’ve see two performances in the US. Be nice to see them do their thing in their own place.
5 See horses on an airplane during a nice safe flight in which the horses ate the snacks & enjoyed the inflight movie.
6 Compete at the Kentucky Horse Park [7 Ways To Dodge Nostalgia].
7 Compete abroad. Half credit for Canada & Mexico. Double credit for Asia/Australia
8 Earn a ribbon abroad.
9 Win abroad. Even if the result won’t be the right color.
Saddle Seat
10 Learn to use a double bridle.
11 Move out of Academy. As soon as someone loans me a horse.
12 Ride a game horse … happily.
13 Show in the ASB jumper class at the the St. Louis show [Saddlebred Versatility].
14 Show on the green shavings [Spotted on the Green Shavings]. Why not dream big?
Obstacle Challenge
15 Complete all the obstacles in a class.
Model Horses
16 Show in a model horse photo show.
17 Show in a model horse live show. For real this time. [What Happens at a Model Horse Show?]
Jumpers
18 Yes. I don’t know the state of the industry well enough to know what I want, other than Jump! All! The! Things!
Hunters
19 Ditto.
Eventing
20 Event at any level.
21 Event at Beginner Novice.
22 Event at Novice.
23 Event at Training.
24 Complete a Prelim event.
25 Win an event, any level.
26 Win an event, Training or higher.
27 Ride in the AECs. Been a goal for a while [I Owe It All To Rodney].
28 Win the AECs.
Dressage
29 Ride First level.
30 Ride Second level.
31 Ride Third Level.
32 Earn my USDF bronze [Bucket List: USDF Bronze].
33 Ride a trained Lipizzaner. A kind, understanding one.
Awards
34 Win year-end awards, 3rd or higher, in three disciplines from three different associations in one year: saddle seat, obstacle, hunter/jumper, eventing, dressage [A Dog Can Dream].
Body
Swim
35 Learn the Australian Crawl [Black Line Therapy].
Fitness.
36 Get fit. Vague, but I know what I mean.
37 Learn an entire Tai Chi form. Use it to start a daily practice.
Dance
38 Be able to follow along in the adult class [Challenge, Do Something You Are Bad At].
39 Take a class with Intercity Dance Collective. Lifted directly from 40.
Biking
40 Bike 100 miles. I’ve done 50 miles. I could see doing 100 … slowly, carefully, and fully supported.
41 Go on a bike tour. Chateaus of the Loire Valley comes to mind.
Mind
Work
42 Restart my career.
43 Have a writer’s website.
44 Find a writing group, in person or online.
Writing
45 Write a book, i.e. finish a book-length piece of fiction.
46 Publish a book, self or otherwise.
47 Publish a book with a commercial publisher.
48 Be invited to a panel at Dragon*Con.
Hobbies
49 Weaving. Finish something. Anything. I’m sure I will have more. This is a start.
50 Travel. Walk the NYC Marathon 5K [Proof of Concept, Race, er, Walk Report, Magic City Run 2019].
51 Stamps. Create & show a stamp display. What? Examples AAPE. [My First Stamp Show]
52 Photography. Have an art photo published. In other words, have a photo published because of technical merit, not because it shows the winner of the class.
Blog
53 Attend a blogging conference.
54 Reach post #3900. Today #2827 + three years, 1096 posts = # 3923. Gave myself wiggle room in case I have drop everything to do something wonderful [Delay Of Game].
Life
55 Find volunteer work that is both useful and satisfying.
56 Leave space for my spiritual life.
57 Get on top of my chores. Live in a house that is acceptable for people to see. Tidy, repair, decorate, and so on.
58 Find a charity to get behind, as The Fat Cyclist did with World Bicycle Relief, Superduper Cool News.
59 Reader suggestions. Anything to add? Things I should do? Things I would have fun doing?
60 Left blank for things wondrous and unthought of.
Well, that takes care of my New Year’s resolution posts and gives me automatic blog posts on this date for the next 3 years.
Notice how I have avoided the g-word? I don’t do the g-thing. [This Is Why I Don’t Set Goals]
Previous Posts
[Dream Rides, Shows] 2019
[Goals 2018. Not.]
[Hello 2016!]
[Looking Back at 2015]
[On the 8th Day of Christmas: Eight Resolutions] 2105
[My Go Mighty 10] 2013
[Bucket List] & [Bucket List – Accomplished] 2012
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
Happy Birthday!
Particularly like number 18 for the enthusiasm alone 😁 I’m not sure I know how to answer number 59 but is there anything more that 10 Year Old Katherine thought Now Katherine would be doing?
Have a fabulous day.
Firstly: Happy Birthday. I hope it’s wonderful.
Secondly: What are hunters?
For 59, to do with 58 – I’m not sure if you’d like to find a charity to get behind that has to do with horses but we have something in Canada called ‘Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association’ that is a charity that helps person’s with disabilities with horses – riding, caring for, etc… I don’t know much about horses, but I know that my ex-boyfriend’s little sister has down syndrome and she used to have riding lessons and time at the stables with them once a week when she was a teenager and it really helped her to feel more independent and that she could care for creatures and that people could depend on her because she was capable of caring for the horse.
With one of your great passions being horses, I wonder if there is something similar in your area? Perhaps you could even volunteer with them? Share your love of horses with some people who might need it most!
Have the happiest of birthday’s. I think this is such a fabulous list of goals to have.
10 Year Old Katherine wanted her own horse in her own backyard. She was living in Manhattan at the time. So sure of her passion, when she looked at the summer camps ads, she eliminated any with an extra charge for horse-back riding.
Even then, she knew…
When she leased her first horse, he did not have a stall. She went to work busing tables to earn the $50 a month for a stall.
Even then she worked for her horses…
As for the wonderful dude, he is wise enough to know that he will never ask her to choose between him and her horses.
Even her marriage is horse-infused…
It seems that 10 Year Old Katherine is living her dream.
Hard to believe that she will be 60 in three years.
New dreams, new joys. This list is so her.
I read her post first thing every morning to see what new adventure she is having (or not).
Happy Birthday, Katherine, formerly know as Kathy. You are a delight and a wonder.
Happy Birthday! I’m sorry I forgot this year. I remember Kathy….May you be able to ride for many, many more years. My life would have been far less without your friendship.
Happy birthday! 🎂 Fun to say it on your blog instead of an email. I love your list. I wish I had more dreams and things I want to do. It will be fun to revisit later and see what you’ve checked off.
For #33, you might look into the Camp Lippizan at the bottom of this link. Judy Tarr is an author, who owns Lippizans.
Wow – that looks really cool
See y’all back hear in a year for a recap!