day 6: intention, part II

back to trooper, james, and intention:

again, i could write forever about this experience, and maybe i will. but for now, i am feeling the need to share another significant, relevant moment that immediately followed…

i was finally sitting on trooper. i will spare you the mayhem on my way up. suffice it to say that trooper lived up to his name, that loving, patient boy, while three sets of arms and six voices worked to get me up on his back. (it was sitcom-insane.) but finally, the climb itself was behind me, and my short legs were somewhat secured, stretched past their limits around trooper’s back and sides.

i sat seven feet up in the air, breathless from the attempt and rigid with fear, both hands on the pommel and body in a fist, i locked eyes with james, who was right in front of me, holding trooper by the bridle. i didn’t blink. what little courage i had was in his trust and belief in me. and so i clung to it.

i took a few very deep breaths. the encouraging voices around me quieted down. and i became aware of my seat. i don’t know if that’s an actual thing, but that’s what i’ll call it. it’s the spot where pelvis, hips and lower back meet at different angles. what you do there has a ripple effect on everything above and below, and i was off. i felt this. and so i shifted…maybe an inch…pelvis a little forward, lower back a little less arched. sure enough, my upper back and legs followed.

in that instant, my body let go. it found its place. and, weirdly enough, my mind said, “oh. there i am.” as if i had been on horseback before. as if something natural had kicked in. as if i were remembering something.

the shift was internal. imperceptible. but trooper felt it. i know this because in that “there i am” moment, all two tons of him decided to take a step forward. i felt like i was on top of a tidal wave.

when i think of why i write and why i coach, my intention is to somehow shed some light on your path. my hope is that, in partnering with you, you’ll find your seat, your alignment, remember who you are and think, “there i am.”

remembering who you are is its own gift. the extra gift is that when you do, everything around you senses it, and it wants you to take a step forward.