Credit: Dana's
Doodles
Like bookends to the dressage pattern’s rhythm and
brilliance, the halt is a moment to compose beforehand and reflect afterwards.
This week Jill Irving
reflected on her FEI WEG performance regarding the challenge of the halt. She
was so proud that her horse stood quietly, despite outside distractions and
internal adrenaline. “It’s hard when you fire them up to do other
movements, then say, ‘Oh, by the way, you have to stand still.’”
Do you ever
feel you’re running on adrenaline? Overwhelmed? Overscheduled? I’m
becoming convinced that humans were designed to halt at X – to pause, turn off work
and turn off the phone.
I multitasked my way through a 10 year stretch I
call the running on adrenaline years. I felt like there were not enough hours in the
day. I’d opt for a full-service gas station, efficiently using the unscheduled
five minutes to make a call or write a cheque. Every time I stopped I'd start to doze off. So I tried not to stop.
I noted, while judging and teaching riding clinics
in Israel, that everything shuts down for the Sabbath. Activities, businesses,
even horse shows! The directives
from God in the Scriptures to work hard, then carve out a day to rest, reflect
and recharge are still observed – religious or not. Psychologists confirm that
people and families seem to thrive on a regular rhythm of work and rest.
Any ideas to take “mini-Sabbaths”
within the week or at regular intervals through the day? Turning off tech,
going for a walk, sitting down to eat, praying, opting for a look in the eyes conversation with a
friend instead of a text.
“Do not be conformed to the standards of the world but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind.” From
the book of Romans, the Bible.