Lent: Day Seventeen

I went for a ride on Wind the Horse yesterday. It was a short jaunt, but we did encounter something new: water. I mean, it was new for me; I am still a very green horsewoman.

First of all, I think all those Westerns have it wrong. Horses do not go racing happily into any sized puddle, lake or river. Maybe once you get 'em in, they rare gracefully and toss sparkling drops of water into the air around you, but they are downright skiddish on the water's edge. At least my horse was.

Here's what went down: I was walking Wind alongside the road, and we came upon a good-sized puddle. My thought was, "Cool, I get to ride through water." Wind's thoughts were, "What is that? How deep is it? And where are you leading me you crazy woman?"

He stopped dead in his tracks. And then he began pawing the water. The pawing turned into stomping, and the stomping into very tentative steps. One, two, stop. Paw, stomp, walk. One, two, stop. Paw, whinny, bolt.

"Whoa!" Pull the reins. Too hard. Going in reverse. Heart beating fast...

You get the point. We did eventually make it through with some coaching from my knowledgeable sister-in-law. She said horses can't see water very well, so they paw it to test its depth. They just want to make sure they aren't getting in too deep.

And you know what? That makes sense. Humans do that too. Any time we come to a new job opportunity, or relationship, or adventure, we stop and test the water. We ask questions, we seek council, we take a couple steps and stop to re-evaluate. And I suppose there comes a time when we either back up and go around or gallop into the deep, raring gracefully and throwing drops of sparkling water into the air.

I suppose either option is fine. I just hope, as I personally come upon some unknown steps in my life, that I run right into that scary water. I pray the same for many of my friends who I know are standing on the water's edge, trying to decide what to do on this journey called life.