Lessons Taught, Lessons Learned.

 I teach horseback riding lessons.  To be honest, though, I sometimes dread teaching.  

I dread the idea of my horse getting scared and tossing a kid, causing either physical pain or emotional torment as they experience possibly the scariest moment of their little lives.  I dread the idea of a child not understanding what I'm trying to explain or perhaps not picking up the sport as quickly as they had hoped, and then becoming frustrated and wanting to quit.  I sometimes just dread having to socialize and be cheery on a day when I'm simply not in the mood.  And sometimes, I just dread having to share my horses at all, because I really just want to enjoy them myself. 

But in reality, while horseback riding is one of the hardest sports to teach, it's also one of the most rewarding.

I get to watch as children grow in confidence and physical strength.  I get to take part in pushing kids outside of their comfort zone and into a challenge.  I get to see kids get back up and keep trying when things don't go as planned.  I have the opportunity to see kids form bonds with one of the most beautiful creatures God graced this planet with.  I have the chance to help kids make friends with other kids who share interests or quirks.  Oh, how I enjoy watching kids learn and grow and change.

Horseback riding lessons aren't just about, well, horseback riding.  

I have students with struggles at school or making friends who come out of their shells.  I have students who are fearful and quiet find their courage and voice. I have students who have trouble connecting with their parents or siblings connect with me, share their struggles with me, vent and let out their anxieties with me.  

I've had students start as tiny tots and become my best helpers.  I've had students start out terrified of going faster than a walk asking to work on their canter transitions and strive to challenge themselves at each lesson.  

No, this isn't my doing.  This is how horses work.  This is why God created the horse.  Sure, for work and transportation initially (and GASP even for food), but He knew what kind of growth a horse can cause in a person.  Horses help to instill patience, forgiveness, grace, and love in a person's soul, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to play my part in that in so many kids' lives. 

I have learned to be patient and selfless.  I have gained confidence in myself as I see confidence growing in my students.  From a girl who struggled with self-worth for so many years, being a horseback riding teacher has even helped me see my value, because these kids don't let me forget that I matter to them.  

So are horseback riding lessons more beneficial to the student or the teacher?  I think it's a symbiotic relationship.  I learn so much from my kids as I teach them.  And those lessons are absolutely invaluable to me.  

Boy, am I thankful for all those teachers in my life who also learned patience and selflessness when dealing with me at horseback riding lessons growing up.  I wasn't an easy student, but with the encouragement and motivation from teachers who had been there, done that, and already learned their lessons as I am now learning, I grew, too.  



A gooseberry.

Love, Lynwood

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hymn Begins

The guitar plays the familiar chord. There is a hush as the congregation soaks in the lovely sound. The instruments slowly build, and the voices rise up. The hymn begins. It's an old hymn, traditional and well-known. The words are like honey, so rich and sweet. Melody and harmony melt together, The tune filled with spirit and passion. In the crowd, her voice wavers.  The chorus fills her soul with precious memories. The memories well up in her throat and spill out in her tears. The hymn continues. The wavering voice grows strong again. She finds the harmony in a sea of melody. With eyes closed and hands raised, she sings with jubilee. The precious memories change to a vision. She sees herself meeting Jesus, singing a hymn. The hymn ends. The congregation sings a long amen. The visions of rapture fade as her eyes open. And in her soul, the hymn begins again. Love, Lynwood
Read more

Lemons and Opportunities

Inconvenience. What a hassle, what a nuisance.  What a negative thing to occur. But what if we look at inconvenience differently? Opportunity. A chance to grow, a chance to learn. Just as life can throw us lemons, and we complain and groan. When really all we need to do is use the lemons and supplies we already have and then the lemons aren't that bad. We can add some lemon to our drinks throw in some sugar, too. And the sour, inconvenient lemons become our favorite treat. We can add some eggs and sugar,  top it with meringue. Or we can add some flour, eggs, and sugar, and ice it with a glaze. Then the sour, inconvenient lemons become pie or a cake. So it's all about perspective, you see. When life throws us inconvenient lemons, the lemons are not all that we have.  We have tools in life to take those inconvenient lemons and make something delightful instead. What an opportunity! This was a poem that came from a gooseberry of thoughts going on in my mind.  I was teac...
Read more

A rainy day at the park - a lesson in vulnerability

Image
I grew up in a suburb of Richmond, VA. We had all four seasons, a lot of Baptist churches, and the food was always made with extra love.  One of my favorite activities growing up was going to Deep Run Park. Grandmac usually took me, sometimes just the two of us, and sometimes my brother or a cousin or two would join (pictured). We had picnics, played out Grandmac’s stories on the playground (Three Billy Goats Gruff was our favorite game), and played by the creek back in the woods of the park. Grandmac showed me how dried leaves made perfect little boats, and we would pick out our own boat leaves and have a race. She got down in the water with us and helped us build dams out of rocks and sand, and we would often check on how well the dams would hold up.  When I was four, on a particularly rainy autumn day, Grandmac came over to play. She had an extra glimmer in those playful eyes of hers; I could tell she was up to something. She pulled out a new raincoat and boots for me and, ...
Read more