I'm sure it's true for most people that there is very little time to stop and smell the proverbial roses in today's age. In a society consumed with a desire for the instantaneous, we are often lost in the daily minutiae that takes up so much of our energy and focus.

It's one of the things I appreciate and savor most about my time at the barn. I have caught myself in the midst of bumper-to-bumper traffic, literally calculating to the minute how much time I can afford to spend at the barn that afternoon. With each minute more I spend stuck in traffic, the more time that is ticked off my allotment dedicated to the barn. However, it has never failed that the moment I step out of the car and smell the familiar smells (barn smells are heavenly to me, odd as it may sound), I lose track of time. And it's not entirely coincidental... For one, once I see Tuff, I can't bear to take away a single moment's attention that he so deserves. And secondly, I realize once there that even the most pressing engagements seem to pale in comparison to the peaceful solitude experienced there. I become greedily possessive of my time at the barn.

Burying my head in Tuff's neck today - alright yes, I do this every single time I see him - I was in awe of the intangible blessing he brings to my life. I fear sometimes that I take it all for granted. Even in such a serene place, doing the thing that makes me the happiest, I tend to get lost in the repetition of it all.

Watching one of our incredible trainers today, I posed this question to him: "When you work with that many horses every day, don't you lose the appreciation for what you are doing, for the animal itself?" I admire the niche he has found, to be able to do for a living every day the thing he loves and at which he is so gifted. But I imagine that in the bustle of the daily "to do list," something has to be lost or taken for granted.

I hope that I can always have moments like today. I don't want to lose sight of my reason for being there or begin to see my time with Tuff as just another chore or responsibility to be taken care of. I don't think that could really happen. He is such a source of joy for me and my heart is full just being near him.

Besides that, he'd never let me get away with it. :)