Virtual Brush Box

Why I Am Not Passionate About Horses

Passion implies extraordinary effort.
Passion implies fortitude in the face of adversity.
I am not passionate.
I do what is normal to me.

I ride.
I keep horses at home.
I have been doing this for decades.
This is normal to me.

I can name every horse I rode during high school.
I cannot do this for my teachers.
Ditto college.
This is normal to me.

In high school, I had school friends.
During high school, I had a different set of barn friends.
Ditto college.
This is normal to me.

When house shopping, we looked at the land.
A house can be gutted and remodeled.
Land cannot.
This is normal to me.

The last time I bought non-horse clothes was two years ago.
The last time I bought horse show clothes was two months ago.
My show clothes cost more than my non-horse clothes by a significant factor.
This is normal to me.

I’d rather have a truck than a sports car.
I’d rather have Red Wings than Jimmy Choos.
I’d rather have ribbons than diamonds.
This is normal to me.

If I’m not at my computer, I’m at the barn.
If I’m not on the property, I’m at a riding lesson.
If I’m not in the state, I’m at a horse show.
This is normal to me.

First thing in the morning, I feed.
Before I leave home, I check for ears up.
When I return, I check again.
This is normal to me.

I clean poop. Daily.
I scrub buckets. Daily.
I go out in cold, heat, wind, rain. Daily.
This is normal to me.

Passion implies sacrifice.
Passion implies grit.
I am not passionate.
I do what is normal to me.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott